March 1, 2020
In these troubled and confusing times, it's natural for the average citizen to feel at a loss to make sense of what is happening in terms of the U.S. electoral process. Payton, an expert in cybersecurity, sounds a clarion call that our political process is at risk and explains why and how it is being assailed by foreign and domestic enemies of democracy. According to Payton, American elections are extremely vulnerable to outside interference, and the American electorate is being subjected to information tampering and cyber hacking. She points out how American politicians are failing to address these concerns and how that may influence America's future politics. Many conservatives may want to dismiss Payton's arguments, since she places much of the blame for the situation at the feet of current Republican leadership. But Payton can't be dismissed as a liberal Democratic cynic, since her credentials are firmly rooted in the work she did for the George W. Bush administration. Payton clearly knows her stuff, and though her wonkish attention to details sometimes makes for dry reading, she paints a timely, frightening picture.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)