Description:
The Language of Liberty: A Citizen's Vocabulary is a substantive lexicon of 101 political terms in the broader context of American life and history.
Brief description: Edwin (Ed) Hagenstein worked in educational publishing for three decades as a textbook writer and editor, specializing in history and social studies. During that time, he often considered how best to convey the fundamentals of American government to young readers and concluded that vocabulary was key. In researching The Language of Liberty, he found that even the most familiar political terms had surprising depths. His previous book American Georgics: Writings on Farming, Culture, and the Land (Yale University Press, 2011) won Honorable Mention for the 2011 New England Book Festival in the Compilations/Anthologies category. Hagenstein now lives and works in northern New Mexico.
Review Quotes:
"Clear, thorough, and well-researched, The Language of Liberty makes a fine primer on American government."
-John Kitch, Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy
"The Language of Liberty brings clarity and sensible relief to the politically charged and often deliberately misleading public discourse to which we lately have been subjected. We need this book. Read it, and be reminded of what the language of liberty really means."
-David Lambertson, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand (ret.)
"The Language of Liberty is an informative guide to the way our complicated governance was intended and developed to function. Every member of the House and Senate, and the White House, should have a copy."
-Marshall Witten, Vermont State Legislator (ret.)