Ari Berman is a political correspondent for The Nation and an investigative journalism Fellow at the Nation Institute. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times and Rolling Stone, and he is a frequent commentator on MSNBC and NPR. His first book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics, was published in 2010. He lives in New York City.
"An engrossing narrative history . . . Berman vividly shows that
the power to define the scope of voting rights in America has
shifted from Congress to the courts." --Jeffrey Rosen, The New York
Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) "[Give Us The Ballot] should
become a primer for every American, but especially for
congressional lawmakers and staffers, because it so capably
describes the intricate interplay between grass-roots activism and
the halls of Congress . . . Congress must fix the Voting Rights
Act, and Berman's book explains why, without passion or favoritism.
It is the first history of the contemporary voting rights movement
in the United States. It is long overdue, but Berman's extensive
reporting makes it well worth the wait." --John Lewis, The
Washington Post "Ari Berman's important recent book, Give Us the
Ballot, explores the struggle over voting rights unleashed by the
civil-rights revolution, and how it continues to this day . . .
Berman has performed a valuable public service by illuminating this
history." --Eric Foner, The Nation "Fifty years after passage of
the Voting Rights Act, Give Us the Ballot makes a powerful case
that voting rights are under assault in 21st century America.
Current events underscore the book's timeliness." --Wendy Smith,
The Los Angeles Times "Ari Berman's Give Us the Ballot, a history
of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, makes for an excellent extended
example of the mechanisms by which race in the South becomes race
in the nation." --Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker "An urgent,
moving, deeply important history of the modern right to vote in the
United States" --Michael O'Donnell, The Christian Science Monitor
"Comprehensive . . . The value of Give Us the Ballot lies in
illustrating that the [Voting Rights Act] has never been
universally accepted . . . Ari Berman convincingly shows that the
fight for voting rights is far from over." --Jordan Michael Smith,
The Boston Globe "An extremely valuable and terribly timely history
of the Voting Rights Act . . . Berman deftly weaves together the
politics, the intellectual and legal arguments, the legislative
battles, the counterrevolutionary schemes, and the tragic and
ironic turns in the story." --Harvey J. Kaye, The Daily Beast
"Illuminating . . . Give Us the Ballot is a smart compendium of
election "reforms." Berman removes the facade of intellectual
honesty--where voting-rights opponents even bothered to make an
argument--and lays bare the many, many ways to game the outcome of
an election." --Scott Porch, The Chicago Tribune "The voting rights
struggle of the 1960s produced several moments that remain seared
in the nation's memory . . . Ari Berman tells the story of these
stirring moments, and tells it well. But unlike many civil rights
chronicles, his account begins rather than ends in the 1960s. Via a
series of vivid anecdotes, he describes the tumultuous history of
the Voting Rights Act (VRA) from its enactment all the way to the
present day. It's an important and absorbing tale."
--Nicholas Stephanopoulos, The New Rambler "Berman's reporting is
expertly balanced." --Walton Muyumba, The Dallas Morning News "Just
in time for the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act comes
this deep dive into the legacy of the civil rights movement and why
we're still fighting for the right for everyone to have a slice of
the political power pie." --Lara Zarum, The Village Voice "The
Voting Rights Act was signed into law 50 years ago, but according
to journalist Berman, the fight for equality in voting is still
taking place" --The Los Angeles Times "Ari Berman's Give Us the
Ballot explains that the VRA's 50 years have seen great gains but
also consistent opposition. The specifics may have changed. The
campaign to suppress turnout among minorities has not . . . Read
Give Us the Ballot." --Richmond Times-Dispatch "Ari Berman's Give
Us the Ballot is a fascinating, if also infuriating, chronicle of
the modern era in voting rights - a time when those hard-won rights
are suddenly in great jeopardy. Comprehensive, fair-minded and
wise, the book tells a haunting story of rights won and rights
lost." --Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Oath and The Nine "Ari
Berman's Give us the Ballot is a must read for anyone who cares
about the health of American democracy. Written with a deep respect
for history, a keen journalistic sensibility, and a visceral
passion for fairness, Berman's book takes us on a swift and
critical journey through the last fifty years of voting in America.
He begins on the Edmund Pettus bridge with the foot soldiers of
Selma and concludes in the rotunda of the North Carolina statehouse
with the protestors of Moral Mondays. All the critical figures of
American voting rights appear in this book, but Berman allows no
one story to dominate the narrative. His book is about the people,
the ballot box, and our as yet unrealized ideal of fully free and
fair elections. We have not yet arrived at the healthy democracy
the 1965 Voting Rights Act promises is possible, but we have not
given up hope. The struggle continues." --Melissa Harris-Perry,
host of MSNBC's Melissa-Harris Perry Show and Presidential
Professor of Politics and International Studies at Wake Forest
University "Expertly taking us from the bloody streets of Selma to
the current counterrevolution against the voting rights of black
and poor Americans, Ari Berman reminds us that democracy can never
be taken for granted, especially at a time when the courts are more
than willing to abet efforts to limit the right to vote." --Eric
Foner, author of Gateway to Freedom "Ari Berman has written a
powerful history of the massive struggle that has taken place since
1965 over the survival of the Voting Rights Act. Berman reveals
that from the moment Congress passed the landmark bill, opponents
mobilized to dismantle it. The ongoing and sustained assaults on
this historic legislation finally started to find success during
the 1980s when opponents directed their efforts to the courts. This
is a terrific, though troubling, read about the future of American
democracy." --Julian E. Zelizer, author of The Fierce Urgency of
Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society
"Berman does a superb job of making the history of the right to
vote in America not only easily understandable, but riveting...This
is the best kind of popular history-literate, passionate, and
persuasive, balancing detail with accessibility." --Publishers
Weekly, starred review "[I]ncisive... This emotional book runs the
gamut... Not just a compelling history, but a cry for help in the
recurring struggle to gain what is supposed to be an inalienable
right." --Kirkus, starred review
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