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Casual political discussions are anything but easy to navigate.\\xa0Committing each of the 4,500+ words in the U.S. Constitution to memory and interpreting them effectively in conversation is a near-futile effort for the average American. To effectively engage in discussions \\u2014 and often, arguments \\u2014 about American politics, we might think we need a law degree; but perhaps what we need is a sharper, more accessible lens through which to interpret the U.S. Constitution.

The Nation\\xa0contributor and lawyer Elie Mystal offered just that in his book,\\xa0Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy\\u2019s Guide to the Constitution. Through quick-witted humor and snark, Mystal presented an easy-to-read primer on how to traverse topics from gerrymandering and voter suppression to cancel culture and gun control. Mystal contended that many contemporary constitutional interpretations are racially discriminatory and just plain wrong. Through biting analysis, he offered the rationale to point out hypocrisies and highlights the importance of understanding America\\u2019s founding documents if we truly seek liberty and justice for all.

The words\\xa0political discussion\\xa0can make pulses quicken at the thought of lively discussion or cause shudders at the idea of confrontation. But however we look at them, Mystal\\u2019s pugnacious, humorous approach might help rewire \\u2014 or at least fine-tune \\u2014 our arguing techniques.

Elie Mystal\\xa0is\\xa0The Nation\\u2019s\\xa0legal analyst and justice correspondent, an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center, and the legal editor of the\\xa0More Perfect\\xa0podcast on the Supreme Court for Radiolab. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, the former executive editor of\\xa0Above the Law, a former associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, and a frequent guest on MSNBC and Sirius XM.

Shaun Scott\\xa0is a Seattle-based writer and historian. A former Pramila Jayapal staffer and Bernie Sanders 2020 Washington State Field Director, he is currently the Policy Lead at the Statewide Poverty Action Network. His essays about popular culture and late capitalism have appeared in\\xa0Sports Illustrated, The Guardian, and\\xa0Jacobin Magazine. He is the author of the paperback\\xa0Millennials and the Moments that Made Us: A Cultural History of the US from 1982-Present, and the forthcoming hardcover from UW Press\\xa0Heartbreak City: Sports and the Progressive Movement in Urban America.

Buy the Book: Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy\'s Guide to the Constitution (Hardcover)\\xa0from Third Place Books

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