The Bill of Obligations

 The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Good Habits of Good Citizens, by Richard Haas, 217 pgs. 

Democracy? More like demo-crazy, am I right? Thanks to authoritarian-leaning groups making bold power-grabs recently, I've learned a lot more about the state and history of democracy in the last few years than in my entire lifetime. While there's a deluge of political books these days, this one stands apart as it highlights some of the commonalities we share as countrymen and offers suggestions for maintaining those qualities, thus strengthening our mutual bonds as citizens and the country's writ large. None of the suggestions here are very partisan, rather they're very basic and commonsense measures that a majority of people can agree with. Haas served in the Pentagon and State Department under Republican and Democratic presidents and knows what makes good policy, both foreign and domestic. The obligations range from being informed and getting involved, to promoting the common good and improving our civics curriculums. I could definitely see an abridged version of this for teens being a good introduction to Civics 101. Highly recommended and a quick read for anyone feeling anxious about the country's future. 

The test

The test / Sylvain Neuvel, read by Neil Shah, 108 pgs.

In the near future, to become a citizen, you take the British Citizenship Test.  If you pass, you can stay, if you fail, you and your family are immediately deported.  Idir is sitting for the test.  25 questions seal your fate, 1 of 3 fail.  He is just started when the testing center is taken over by a group of terrorists.  One of his fellow test takers is shot.  Idir moves to help him and is singled out by the terrorists who will kill someone every 15 minutes until they get what they want.  I will say no more but this is an amazing, powerful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The audio version is fantastic.