Re: Constitutions
Connecting Citizens with the Rules of the Game
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- $21.99
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
The next volume in the World Citizen Comics series, Re: Constitutions explains the role constitutions play in how government is structured and provides context for the modern issues that arise from these documents.
Marcus is stumped by a summer assignment: to write an essay on what it means to be a citizen. He’s surprised to hear from people in his community that constitutions play an important role when it comes to citizenship—they can even affect whether you feel like you belong in your country or not. From a Kosovo Albanian neighbor to a Rwandan exchange student, and even in his own family history, Marcus discovers stories of how constitutions—including the U.S. Constitution—shape the political landscape and our daily lives.
From Beka Feathers, an expert in post-conflict institution building, and Kasia Babis, an accomplished political cartoonist, comes a graphic novel that gives context to the modern issues that arise from constitutions. With historical examples from all over the world, Re: Constitutions examines how this essential document defines a nation’s identity and the rights of its citizens.
This book is part of the World Citizen Comics series, a bold line of civics-focused graphic novels that equip readers to be engaged citizens and informed voters.
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Sporting Schoolhouse Rock charm (sans peppy guitar soundtrack), this educational comics guidebook to constitutions takes on a commendable international scope. The YA-friendly framing device is clunky but effective: high school student Marcus, frustrated over an assignment to write about the meaning of citizenship, queries a multicultural mosaic of friendly and informed neighbors for help. A series of beaming chatterboxes with roots spanning Rwanda, India, and Kosovo, among others, patiently explain to Marcus how constitutions have similarities, but vary from country to country based on the needs of a nation's people. Feathers applies her background as an international legal adviser in conflict zones with crisply delivered breakdowns of basic constitutional principles, though also some eye-roll–inducing dialogue ("But Dad, isn't that just stuff that sounds good on paper?"). Helped along by Babis's charming if somewhat overly smiley character drawings, the team goes beyond the basics to tackle more substantial examples (such as how Rwanda's 2003 constitution required 30% of government decision-making bodies to comprise women) and urgent particulars ("the constitution is only as strong as the people who use it"). Granted, it's more a work of advocacy—a democratic citizenry handbook—than objective reporting, but given the strain such documents are currently under globally, that might be exactly what's needed.
