About the Author

Frank M. Bryan is a professor of political science at the University of Vermont. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of eleven books, including Politics in the Rural States and The Vermont Papers: Recreating Democracy on a Human Scale as well as several books of Yankee humor such as the bestseller Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats.

Reviews

"'At a New England town meeting, ' Bryan proclaims, '[Adolf Hitler] would have at once been recognized as a flaming jackass and subtly ostracized into impotence.' The serious point buried in his exuberant hyperbole is the lesson at the heart of this immensely readable and valuable book."
-- "Yankee Magazine"

"[Bryan] writes tellingly and thoroughly about Vermont's 210 annual town meetings over three decades . . . Bryan employs many of the sophisticated methodologies of political science to demonstrate that the New England town meeting is not merely a traditional method by which early Americans governed themselves. It still works well. . . . Obviously, New England can't be transferred to Iraq and Afghanistan, but its lessons are still relevant."
--Robert I. Rothberg "Christian Science Monitor"

"And now the irrepressible Bryan has made a major contribution to his field (and his country, which is Vermont) with Real Democracy, his magnum opus, the most searching and sympathetic book ever written about the town meeting democracy of New England. The book is a veritable four-leaf clover of academia: a witty work of political science written from a defiantly rural populist point of view. If the Green Mountains had a face, it would be Frank Bryan. With Real Democracy, he has given his state, and us outlanders as well, the most detailed and affectionate portrait of a town meeting, which is, as Bryan says, 'where you learn to be a good citizen'."
--Bill Kauffman "The American Conservative" (9/13/2004 12:00:00 AM)

"Frank Bryan . . . is arguably (and you can bet he'd enjoy arguing about it) the nation's leading scholar on town meeting democracy. What can't be argued is that he is it's most passionate and eloquent promoter."
-- "New England Monthly"

"Frank Bryan has written a classic of American political science and a book that will entrance scholars of democracy world-wide. The culmination of a life's work, Real Democracy relentlessly interrogates the New England town meeting. . . . Real Democracy is a good book because of 30 years of careful research on a neglected topic; it is a great book because it is the fulfillment of a lifetime's passion: a 'lover's quarrel' with democracy as representation."--Laurence Piper "Theoria"

"Simultaneously nostalgic and up-to-the-minute. Bryan's book arrives as interest in local civic capital and 'deliberate democracy'--as contrasted with the old-fashioned adversarial style--is surging."
--Christopher Shea "Boston Globe"

"This book is informative and entertaining, a rare combination for a scholarly study."
--Thomas A. Karel "Library Journal"

"Real Democracy is a magnificent analysis of the New England town meeting. It should be read again and again over the next hundred (indeed, the next thousand) years. Whether existing town meetings flourish and provide a model for the rest of the world or whether they lose their power and begin to wither, this book will provide the scholarly world's only basis for their systematic comparison in the future."Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University--Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University

"Real Democracy is an outstanding book that should be 'must reading' for any citizen concerned about the well-being of democracy in America and for all analysts interested in democratic practice. Bryan's book is a towering achievement, a product of a dedicated political scientist with a clear vision of the meaning of democracy and how best to assess its health and actions."Richard F. Winters, Dartmouth College--Richard F. Winters, Dartmouth College

"[Real Democracy] is splendid in every respect. . . . I know of no other book quite like it--it is a scholarly 'page-flipper.' Each page brims with new and unexpected insights. [Bryan] generates valuable characterizations of town meetings, and his conclusions about the relationship between democracy in practice in Vermont towns and our nation's democracy should be considered by all."--Richard F. Winters "Burlington Free Press (VT)"

"[Bryan's] tour de force is Real Democracy, already being hailed as the definitive book on town meetings."Vermont Life-- "Vermont Life"