How to Read the Constitution - and Why

By: Kim Wehle

Narrated by: Kim Wehle

"A must-read for this era." (Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent)

An insightful, urgent, and perennially relevant handbook that lays out in common-sense language how the United States Constitution works, and how its protections are eroding before our eyes - essential listening for anyone who wants to understand and parse the constantly breaking news about the backbone of American government.

The Constitution is the most significant document in America. But do you fully understand what this valuable document means to you? In How to Read the Constitution - and Why, legal expert and educator Kimberly Wehle spells out in clear, simple, and common-sense terms what is in the Constitution and most importantly, what it means. In compelling terms and including text from the United States Constitution, she describes how the Constitution’s protections are eroding - not only in express terms but by virtue of the many legal and social norms that no longer shore up its legitimacy - and why every American needs to heed to this "red flag" moment in our democracy.

This invaluable - and timely - resource includes the Constitution in its entirety and covers nearly every significant aspect of the text, from the powers of the president and how the three branches of government are designed to hold each other accountable, to what it means to have individual rights - including free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to an abortion. Finally, the audiobook explains why it has never been more important than now for all Americans to know how our Constitution works - and why, if we don’t step in to protect it now, we could lose its protections forever.

How to Read the Constitution - and Why is essential listening for anyone who cares about maintaining an accountable government and the individual freedoms that the Constitution enshrines for everyone in America - regardless of political party.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Kim Wehle (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Good Starter for Trouble Times

A good place to start in time when it is more important than ever to try know what's going on. A good deal of prescient impeachment material.
This is not going to be new territory for those who have studied the subject but is interesting nonetheless.
It is refreshing to hear female pronouns used as the norm when referring to individuals. For example X hired a lawyer and she petitioned the court; Though the judge made a subjective ruling her reasoning was solid; and, The President exercised her Article One power.

As a heterosexual married male reader of a great deal of audio books it sounds new and caused me to reflect on how dominant male pronouns are in so many books dealing with these subjects. One could even make the case that it could lead to implicit bias. Call me a Woke Snowflake but more authors should follow suit and at the very least mix it up.

Good start to understanding the US Constitution

was on the fence about this one because of all of the negative reviews about bias, but believe this is an informative read on the US Constitution. Of course those that would seek to diminish democracy would not want to hear what's in this text.

A good perspective on the Constitution

I enjoyed this book/audiobook.

While some could probably pinpoint some bias here and there in the book, the author pointed out where both sides of the political spectrum use their believed intent of the Constitution or the literal wording of it to favor themselves or sway people away from the other side’s influence.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants more information on civics in our great country.

Required reading

I so enjoyed this book and the author’s reading of it. It has been too many years since I took Civics in high school, but I believe that my understanding of the constitution was never this detailed, nor did it matter to me sufficiently at the time. Her examples of the importance of almost every aspect of how it works to protects us all amazes me.

Well done

Works as a good refresher & update if you attended law school & an easily understandable & interesting lesson in constitutional law if you are a lay person.

Thoughtful

Good discussion but overuse of the phrase "to be sure" is distracting to be sure.

Excellent except for one thing

Why did you not include the Amendments in the copy of the Constitution? This forced me to keep another copy handy as I read - very cumbersome. Otherwise, outstanding work - highly recommended.

great book

great book...really a good listen about something most dont give enough attention too. word word word

Great book and author is amazing!

Loved it! Great comintary and fun to listen to. I learned a lot and will be listening to it again.

These things matter. Today.

This is yet another book that will reveal how much they did not teach us in school (that's not a criticism of our teachers, many of whom I recall with genuine childhood affection, but instead a criticism of our culture in general and the system behind it that needs the current unfounded myths to remain in power). Kimberly Wehle provides essential background for lay people to comprehend the meaning and decipher the nuances of the US Constitution. One does not need to be a lawyer plowing through endless examples of case law to have a firm grasp of the basic structure of the US government, and how you can influence it. High school essential curricula should include understanding of the reasoning in the Federalist Papers, and the societal context of world history at the time the original Constitution was debated. The author parses critical clauses in the Constitution to reveal it as a truly living document. These things matter. Today.

The material in this book is not dry in this author's hands, and reading it will likely motivate you to be politically active at every level of government—I certainly hope so!