The Congressional Experience

Reviews / Votes

Praise for The Congressional Experience, Fourth Edition

"There is no one who combines the practical and scholarly understanding of Congress as well as David Price. At a time when too many Americans have all but given up on the first branch of government as a source of fixes for the nation's biggest problems, the 16-term North Carolina lawmaker and political science professor reminds us why it still matters. He conveys the reality of the legislative experience, explains what it can do when at its best, and suggests remedies that ultimately point to us, America's citizens."

--Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor, The PBS NewsHour

"David Price was one of the foremost scholars of Congress before he became a member of the House. The Congressional Experience was a goldmine for students of Congress when it first came out, combining in a unique way the best of political science with the invaluable insights of an ultimate insider. Every edition since has been more enriching. This fourth edition, filled with insights of how our politics more broadly, and those of Congress itself, have changed over the past sixteen years, and notably since Donald Trump became president, is the best yet, an extraordinary treat for anyone interested in how Congress works, what motivates its members, and how it can be better."

--Norman Ornstein, resident scholar, The American Enterprise Institute.

"Three cheers for this new edition of The Congressional Experience! With deftness and thoughtfulness, David Price carries the story through the ups and downs, budgetary traumas, nasty polarization and the rest up through Obama and Trump, not to mention Covid-19. The book is illuminating on congressional structure and what to do about its difficulties. I haven't seen a better discussion of how to be a responsible legislator."

--David R. Mayhew, Sterling Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Yale University

"Congressman David Price has written a compelling and intellectually stimulating book on Congress from the perspective of one of its members. But Congressman Price is also Dr. Price, a political scientist, and the book is not simply a narrative of his experiences, but a scholarly contribution to our understanding of the nuances, changes, and inner-workings of the institution. In these polarized times, this book provides a window into the effects of that polarization on the workings of one of our most important government institutions."

--Paula D. McClain, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Duke University

"To invoke an overused word, David Price really is unique. No one else bring his breadth of experience and learning to the study of the Constitution's first branch of government. He is, at once, a distinguished political scientist, a former state party chair, and a House member who has won election after election. He not only understands politics from the inside out but also brings to it the instructive distance of an intellectual who sees things whole. It's a great blessing that he has given us a new edition of The Congressional Experience."

--E.J. Dionne, Jr., Author, Code Red and Our Divided Political Heart