Last year, we loved doing a slow read of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America with you all (you can find all those episodes listed about halfway down this post). It was so fun and such a great way to reflect on America without being tethered to the current news cycle.

Back in December 2023, when we casually mentioned to Secretary Hillary Clinton (as one does) that we were reading that book, she shared that Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life is a wonderful follow-up. We trust the Secretary’s book recommendations, so we’re launching another slow read for 2025.

Habits of the Heart was written by several authors (Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton) in 1985. Like Democracy in America, it reflects on American society and our pursuit of a truly democratic community. The title comes from de Tocqueville’s work and positions itself as a modern extensive of his observations.

We’ll break the book into four sections and tackle one roughly each quarter of the year:

• Introductory - February 26

• Part One - April 30

• Part Two - September 24

• Conclusion - December 10

The discussions will be available exclusively here on Substack for paid subscribers.