By Hannah Bennett

Dan Pfeiffer’s new book “Un-Trumping America: A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again” will change the way you think about the contemporary political arena.

Pfeiffer, a Bay Area native and longtime aide to Barack Obama who served as communications director in White House, does a deep dive analysis of U.S. political events of the past several years.

With well-paced background stories, blunt analysis and frequent (and hilarious) commentary in the form of editorial footnotes, Pfeiffer illustrates the origins of today’s uncivil political climate, then offers a thesis for ways to erase the damage that years of cynical Republican leadership has inflicted on the country.

Mitch McConnell’s name pops up a fair few times.

Even though its focus is the debilitated and terminally-ill nature of U.S. democracy — a topic that can depress even the most hearty-souled citizens and residents — the book is humorous, accessible and motivating throughout.

With a voice so thrillingly driven by its hunger for the everyman Democrat to take back his country, Pfeiffer’s tonally-driven prose kept me up reading until 2 a.m.

In his second book since leaving the Obama administration, Pfeiffer — co-host of the podcast “Pod Save America” with Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau — maintains an endearingly honest, yet hopeful outlook on the state of the nation.

Go buy this book. It may just teach you something. And if it doesn’t, it’ll at least get you out to vote.

REVIEW

Un-Trumping America: A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again

Written by: Dan Pfeiffer

Published by: Twelve

Pages: 304

Price: $28

Note: Pfeiffer appears at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes St., S.F.; tickets are $29 at cityboxoffice.com; and 4 p.m. Feb. 29 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.

Literature