These two volumes provide a thesis for the importance of democracies in maintaining the rights of individuals. In Active Citizenship, the author defines democracies and uses the examples of the United States and Canada to illustrate how they function. Much emphasis is placed on citizen’s rights and responsibilities, including voting, petitioning, and jury duty. Democracy and Other Forms compares the democracies of Canada, the United States, and others with constitutional monarchies, absolute monarchies, and other forms of authoritarian regimes. There is some overlap in the volumes with both exploring human rights and the importance of active citizenship. Unlike other books that emphasize the United States’ form of democracy, these open readers’ eyes to the diverse types of governments. The information is good, and the narratives provide sufficient introductions to some of the complexities of the various democracies around the world.