If you need a really concise primer of what's going wrong with politics, here's a book to pick up. Its only major flaw is its dated nature as it was published in 2004 and has an incessant drumbeat against the bogeyman of the then-current Bush Administration more than the problematic system as a whole. ( )

Progressives will approve of the message that Hartmann conveys about the attacks on democracy that are currently under way in the United States. This may seem like a simple comic book, but it packs a punch. Target audience is probably 10+ and best for teens who are interested in learning about civic duty. Would make for interesting reading in a high school government/civics class! ( )