After two years of researching, reporting and writing, I'm proud to say that my book about a 21st-century civics revival taking place in classrooms across the U.S., Building Better Citizens, is finally out in the world.

On November 18, right here in my home city of Nashville, I kicked off the book's release with a launch party and conversation that included some of the people and organizations I write about in the book. Then the community—parents, educators, teens and legislators—joined in on how to enlist more young people in the project of citizenship.

The conversation included the stark absence of history and government knowledge; media literacy and "fake news"; political polarization's effects on young people, and more. The energy in the room made for an exciting night!

What was even more exciting happened afterward: a dad emailed to say he decided to widen his media diet to include points of view he had been ignoring. Two moms signed up their kids for the YMCA's Youth in Government program. And a teenager pulled me aside to ask how he could get involved in local politics. What I've found in talking to people is that, when it's brought to their attention, Americans are hungry to participate in public life.

You can grab Building Better Citizens from your favorite online book store: Amazon * Kobo * Barnes & Noble * IndieBound

(Pictured left to right: Holly Korbey, Bonnie Mills of Generation Citizen, David Plazas of The Tennessean, Amanda Smithfield of Project Civ America, and Nashville 11th graders Ragan Harrington and Juliana Abelow.) — (Pictured left to right: Holly Korbey, Bonnie Mills of Generation Citizen, David Plazas of *The Tennessean*, Amanda Smithfield of Project Civ America, and Nashville 11th graders Ragan Harrington and Juliana Abelow.)