American Covenant

"[American Covenant] makes the case for the Constitution's political science better than any other book...surprisingly comprehensive, accessibly written and imbued with a generous spirit that transcends our divisions.  A very fine introductory course on American politics."

“[Levin] calmly, persuasively, and systematically instructs us in American Covenant, his splendid and timely new book...[an] elegant volume.”

"American Covenant is prophetic...[Levin] is calling us to a renewed fidelity to our Founding principles." 

“[A] timely and persuasive new book...The book distills the Framers’ wise and subtle constitutional vision, and it convincingly shows that America would be a better-governed and more unified country if our politicians, judges, and presidents embraced it.”

"Levin's book is a rare achievement.  Amid acrimony, it offers a sober assessment of the disunity that wracks the nation.  It provides penetrating observations about the federal government's underlying purpose, structure, and form, and its deviations from the original design. It judiciously synthesizes an impressive range of scholarship on American constitutional government, the political theory of modern republics, contemporary American government, and classical ideas about the regime and citizenship.  It provides practical proposals for reforming congress, the executive branch, the judiciary, and political parties.  And it deftly weaves together Madisonian and Aristotelian political science."

"In his splendid new book...[Levin's] lucid, jargon-free prose, renders this book the intelligent reader's best guide for understanding the American constitutional order, the decay into disorder, and a road toward its resuscitation...As Yuval Levin masterfully demonstrates, [the constitution] provides the foundation on which our democratic republic rests."

"[Levin] makes a learned and systematic case for why we need constitutionalism...one of the merits of the book is that almost every page contains some formulation that could - on its own - be the topic of a vigorous and productive dinner conversation...Our constitutional order has been broken down for some time. American Covenant can help us get serious about repair."

"A learned interpretation of the Constitution as a document that creates unity as much as political structures....An affably contrarian reading of the Constitution that merits attention."

“Because we Americans have forgotten how to disagree with one another, forgotten how to collaborate and compromise, Yuval Levin contends, in clear and persuasive prose, that the United States Constitution offers us a welcome framework for promoting our desperately needed national unity. Indeed, no one has ever explained so authoritatively and so judiciously the significance of the Constitution for the health of our civic life as Levin has in this brilliant book. It is an extraordinary achievement.”

“Yuval Levin may be the most important voice in the political culture right now. His serious, solutions-based thinking is an excellent corrective to the current moment, which is seemingly all about fostering division rather than rebuilding a common sense of purpose. His new book is a key part of the solution.”

“In an era where both sides of the political spectrum see each other as mortal enemies and endless bickering is the norm, Yuval Levin brilliantly teaches how the spirit and substance of the Constitution can soften our animosity and make our disagreements constructive. American Covenant is a clear and hopeful guide for a more dignified and unified America.”

“In his inspiring defense of the Constitution as a framework for national unity, Yuval Levin argues for a resurrection of the hopeful realism of James Madison. This is a brilliant and original work of political science and constitutional history that illuminates the sources of our current divisions and points the way to a more unified future.”