Among the reasons for that, writes noted journalist Bill McKibben, "is that Moyers pulls no punches. His understanding of America's history is at least as deep as his understanding of Christian tradition, which is an integral part of his background...With his feet firmly planted in the deepest American traditions, Bill Moyers is helping to keep alive an oratorical tradition that is fading after two centuries. Trained by his career in broadcasting, he writes for the ear, his cadences and his repetitions timed to bring an audience to full realization of its role and its power.

"And that is the message of this book," McKibben continues. "Moyers on Democracy collects many of Bill Moyers' most moving statements to connect the dots on what is happening to our country - the twinned growth of private wealth and public squalor, the assault on our Constitution, the undermining of the electoral process, the accelerating class war against ordinary (and vulnerable) Americans inherent in the growth of economic inequality, the dangers of an imperial executive, the attack on the independence of the press, the despoiling of the earth we share as our common gift - and to rekindle the listener's conviction that "the gravediggers of democracy will not have the last word".

Richly insightful, and alive with a fierce, abiding love for our country, Moyers on Democracy is essential listening.