Book excerpt: The Language of Liberty: A Citizen's Vocabulary is a substantive lexicon of 101 political terms. These are not simply definitions, but explorations of each term's meaning in the broader context of American life and history. Addressing nearly every aspect of our political system, and doing so in a non-partisan, accessible, manner, The Language of Liberty will appeal to anyone wanting to understand our political system more fully. It amounts to an owner's manual for American government. This book is timeless, yet needed now more than ever. "At a time when the vocabulary of politics and governance has never been more devalued and skewed for partisan purposes, Ed Hagenstein's The Language of Liberty: A Citizen's Vocabulary offers an effective and indeed noble antidote. The book provides concise definitions of the terms we see thrown around so carelessly every day-from the specific (Chief of Staff, lame duck) to the complex and conceptual (meritocracy, identity politics). It brings clarity and sensible relief to the politically charged and often deliberately misleading public discourse to which we lately have been subjected. We need this book. Read it, and be reminded of what the language of liberty really means." -David Lambertson, retired Foreign Service Officer and former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand