Our Time Is Now

First off I will begin by labelling myself as a "swing voter" as she describes in her book. I am neither Republican nor Democrat, Conservative nor Liberal. Who I am leaning towards in the 2020 Presidential election would not have been my choice in previous years. I maintain no loyalty to one party. I would vote for a trans black woman just as easily as I would vote for a straight white Christian male. It doesn't matter to me.That being said, Abrams does a great job presenting the facts about the importance of voting in the American political arena as well as the dark, often deliberate evils of voter suppression. That alone was 5 stars.For the first half of the book or so I thought that she had a bad habit of lumping all Republicans and Conservatives together, that they are all complicit in voter suppression and in cahoots with Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia. Kemp is a bad, bad guy, there is no question about that. However, she could have elaborated on what drives Republican and Conservative voters to vote for stricter voting laws; I don't believe that it is strictly a racial issue for the average everyday Conservative but can be derived from understanding Conservative values and morals. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for the most part of the book though. Minus one star.The chapter on Populism was oddly out of place and simply an unapologetic attack on Donald Trump. Pointing fingers and calling people names and blaming problems on one person does not help the situation. And then in the afterword she essentially places all of the blame on America's fallen status on American conservatives harking back to the Ronald Reagan era. This was an unquantifiable claim that again, felt oddly out of place considering how she masterfully presented quantifiable facts about voter suppression earlier in the book. Minus one star.Overall good. I would suggest it. I also would suggest to her to not let her emotion overcome the facts as it weakens the argument and makes her appear incredibly bitter and biased.

I have been aware of Stacey Abrams since 2018 during the election when the Georgian gubernatorial race was stolen from her by a corrupt election official who was also running for Governor (Brian Kemp). What I didn't realize until cracking open this book is how rampant voter corruption is across America, multi-layered and thick with bureaucracy that prevents hundreds of thousands of Americans from casting their vote in every election. This is essential reading for every American, especially approaching the 2020 Presidential elections! Stacey Abrams is currently still in the running for Biden's VP pick, and I think she is very worthy of that role just by what I've learned about her in this book. Must read!

I'm an older white male. I needed this book to significantly educate me on voting rights issues, Census2020 issues and what can be done. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and many other Americans should read it this Summer.

When Stacey Abrams first burst into the news as a prime contender for the governorship of Georgia, where I lived and voted for over 30 years, my only regret was that I’d already moved to New Mexico, hence could not vote for her. However, I followed the politics of my former home state closely, and like most of my friends, was outraged and appalled by the shenanigans of the officials who so nefariously rigged the election, denying many voters their franchise and thereby putting her competitor into office. Since then, I’ve followed Abrams’ efforts with avid attention, have contributed to “Fair Fight”, and now have purchased her landmark book. “Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America” must be the marching orders and game plan for anyone who hopes to save democracy for our Nation and perhaps even the entire world.Abrams shares a small amount of personal history to emphasize a great deal of documentary information on the evolution of voting rights in the country, including the legislation and court decisions which have had major impact over the decades. The book is scholarly and thoroughly annotated, and at the same time extremely contemporary and totally accessible. Most important, though, the book is completely authentic. Although I left Georgia before the worst of the voter suppression efforts kicked in there prior to the 2012 election, and although I was blessed to be in Congressional District Five (the one which elected Congressman John Lewis over and over), I knew that our “favored status” in that part of Atlanta was NOT universal throughout the state. Subsequently, after moving to Albuquerque, I found I was blessed again beyond all dreaming; New Mexico surely has one of the most accessible election processes in the US.Indeed, many of the things Abrams’ book speaks about -- easy registration; totally accessible early and mail-in voting; bi-lingual paper ballots issued individually from printers on site; and (what amazed me most) the fact that polling places are not limited to precincts -- are totally available here. If New Mexico can do it, why can’t everybody? Obviously, the impediment is not the lack of technology, but the determination of the traditional “white male power structure” to limit the franchise to the “chosen few”. This book is truthful, hard-hitting, and absolutely relevant. It is also highly entertaining; as she points out while discussing the “Use It or Lose It” purging of eligible voters, one doesn’t lose one’s 2nd Amendment rights if one doesn’t go hunting, nor are 1st Amendment rights predicated on regular church attendance! This is required reading for anyone who cares.

The good ol' boy network is still around in 2020. We must embrace our roles in guiding our country back to decency by voting and advocating for the diversity that defines the US. Stacey Abrams is a women capable of being a great leader... if we only let her.

Great read!

I learned a great deal about humility, and voter's suppression which comes in all shapes and forms.

Haven’t read the book yet, because the print is so tiny I can hardly read it