'Sparkling . . . a page-turner full of wit, original insight and unassuming erudition' Guardian

'Enjoyable vitality' The Times

'Highly stimulating . . . wonderfully readable . . . her analysis of democracy's key strengths and weaknesses is forensic' Literary Review

Democracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive: from her childhood in post-war Japan, where democracy was impos ...