Rating: 
Summary: shallow, but certainly not biased
Review: There are a lot of people who decried this book as biased, but perhaps they just didn't like what they read. There were some things in this book that could be construed as pro-democrat, but there were certainly pro-republican parts as well.While some people don't like to think about the demographics of certain parties, it is an important part of politics, and the truth of the matter is that you can largely break down this country demographically and come up with largely consistant voting patterns. This book simply points that out - sorry if some people don't like that - and then yell about bias, since they don't like who they are grouped with. While I would agree that political philosophies are the most important things to be concerned about, demographic breakdowns are helpful to let the reader now how those "values" are played out in the political arena, and who they tend to benefit. However, this book is a book for dummies, and therefore only goes into politics very superficially. But, that is most likely what you want - a very basic overview, not an indepth anaylsis of each party's details. So, I say, buy this relatively analytically shallow, but very fair book. Its nice for those of you who want to start getting more informed about the politics of the nation.
Rating: 
Summary: SOME good info but definitely biased
Review: There is some good information in this book but it is obviously biased. Party demographics, for just one example, should be irrelevant. Belief in a party should stem from belief in their political philosophy and not because you fit some demographic profile. I mean, people really shouldn't categorize people based on skin color or sex, right? This book actually provides several humorous insights into the mind of a Democrat (the author). "Failing to act or to take a position has the potential of alienating everyone, so officials and candidates must go one way or the other - perhaps resorting to the coin-flip or the 'voters-love-me, they-love-me-not' method." I mean, God forbid the politician take a stand on what they personally believe. I also enjoyed the "spin doctor" section. "President Clinton and the Pope went out on a lake in a rowboat to do some fishing. The Pope's hat fell into the water. President Clinton got out of the boat, walked across the water, retrieved the hat, and returned it to the Pope. The headline in the next day's newspaper was "President Clinton Can't Swim!" The only example of spin doctoring that she could come up with was President Clinton walks on water?!?! This type of thing is done throughout the book. To be fair, there are a couple of ones that slant the Republican way but to say this book is not biased is just ignorance. Try "The Complete Idiot's Guide To American Government." I also HIGHLY recommend the magazine called Reason (reason.com). They truly rip Democrats and Republicans when it is called for...all based on logic and fact...not emotion.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok but biased
Review: This book does have some very good information in it for someone looking to understand more about politics. The reason I rated this only two stars is because you should know that it is certainly written with a party bias. I've started learning more about politics over the last year and now know enough to recognize that there are Democratic ideals being pushed throughout the book. My concern is that this book is intended for "dummies" and so many readers may not pick up on the continuous subtle (and some not so subtle) pro-Democrat, anti-Republican examples and comments. I won't list examples here because I disagree completely with what she says. If you buy this book, you will learn more about politics but keep this bias in mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Introductory Book
Review: This book is a great introduction into political participation. It is written in simple language (as should be inferred from the title) and provides a fairly clear map for anyone who is interested in ACTIVE participation in politics. If you are interested in overcoming the American political apathy, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Author Should Be Ashamed!
Review: This book is terribly Democratically biased. I find it horrible and irresponsible for the author to list "characteristics" shared by party members whereby she paints a picture of the parties as she sees them (rich, men, white... versus highly educated, working-class, women...) which should have absolutely no relevance. She says "some voters will feel more comfortable in a party where they don't fit the profile". I assume she meant some will feel more comfortable where they do fit the profile. Shouldn't the "profile" be based on the beliefs that the party stands for? Sad.
Rating:
Summary: Good "alternative" civics text
Review: While cloyingly oversimplistic at times (there is little mention or contact information for third parities) this is a wonderful tool for the American citizen. Although much has been written on the apathy of the American public, this book makes it clear that it is the format of the information that tends to make people uninterested in politics. Wisely, the authors perpetually drive home the point that every citizen has the potential to change the system and their voice really does matter. Also of interest is a voter registration card (check with the index to see what regulations govern it in your state) so readers who have not already done so can register to vote and immediately begin participation in the political process.
Rating: 
Summary: For beginners
Review: You have to remember that this is "for dummies". This is really a beginners introduction to politics. For those who already have an understanding of it, there is no need to read this book. After reading the book, I got the impression that the author herself did not have enough political experience to write a book on politics, even for people new to the subject. Really just basic information that anyone could learn simply by watching cspan a few times and watching the news regularly. The book can also become sidetracked and go off topic with its side-subjects, and its sybols can be hard to remember and are often misplaced. Again, only for beginners and not for people with prior knowledge of the subject.
Rating:
Summary: For beginners
Review: You have to remember that this is "for dummies". This is really a beginners introduction to politics. For those who already have an understanding of it, there is no need to read this book. After reading the book, I got the impression that the author herself did not have enough political experience to write a book on politics, even for people new to the subject. Really just basic information that anyone could learn simply by watching cspan a few times and watching the news regularly. The book can also become sidetracked and go off topic with its side-subjects, and its sybols can be hard to remember and are often misplaced. Again, only for beginners and not for people with prior knowledge of the subject.
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