The Choosing Democracy series (4 titles) examines the important topic of democracy from a variety of angles. Active Citizenship in Democracy defines democracy, offering examples of how young people can make their voices heard through activism, and citing the importance of voting, jury duty, civil service jobs, and government representatives; it also introduces the concepts of full versus flawed democracies and the democracy index. Stock photos and historical artwork mix with charts and maps to lend visual interest, while case studies provide concrete examples to illuminate each book’s main text. There is some topical overlap among the volumes, but this will help reinforce concepts essential to developing a more nuanced grasp of democracy.

These two volumes provide a thesis for the importance of democracies in maintaining the rights of individuals. In Active Citizenship, the author defines democracies and uses the examples of the United States and Canada to illustrate how they function. Much emphasis is placed on citizen’s rights and responsibilities, including voting, petitioning, and jury duty. Democracy and Other Forms compares the democracies of Canada, the United States, and others with constitutional monarchies, absolute monarchies, and other forms of authoritarian regimes. There is some overlap in the volumes with both exploring human rights and the importance of active citizenship. Unlike other books that emphasize the United States’ form of democracy, these open readers’ eyes to the diverse types of governments. The information is good, and the narratives provide sufficient introductions to some of the complexities of the various democracies around the world.