50 States of Mind
A Journey to Discover American Democracy

As someone who moved to the US during the 2016 election, I've struggled to conjure up an image of America that isn't divided in two. Us against them. Ryan's book helped articulate feelings and desires to dive head first into the "grey area". To find the common thread. To bring to light the things th......more

I went into this expecting to find a hard hitting political view of our nation and while, yes, this is a book on finding hope in democracy… I was left finding hope in humanity. This is a book about being human and all that comes with it. The author made me think a littler a deeper but also laugh a l......more

A surprising, open-hearted look at America from the ground. I really appreciated the personal-is-political approach to our divisive politics. Feel timeless and special, and good representation for LGBTQ+ narrative nonfiction.......more

The Review This was a compelling and thoughtful read. The author does an amazing job of tapping into the heart of the American tapestry, showcasing that despite a vastly different look at the same subject, people from all over share far more in common than we believe. The discoveries the author makes......more

I decided to read (technically listen to) this book after seeing Ryan speak at my local library. I thought the book would be a lot more political in nature (especially since he was a campaign worker) but it's a bit more of a memoir of his travels than anything. I found it fascinating. I've lived in......more