When Peachtree first released Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today, back in September 2017, the Trump administration was still in its early days, yet this book for young readers was indisputably timely, given the role the Electoral College played in the 2016 presidential election. Fast forward to mid-2019, when constitutional controversies and crises are daily headlines, and the book, written by husband-and-wife team Cynthia and Sanford Levinson, has deeper resonance than ever. And it inspired, in part, playwright and actress Heidi Schreck’s current Broadway hit, What the Constitution Means to Me.

The authors—Cynthia is a children’s author whose books include We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March and The Youngest Marcher, and Sanford is a constitutional and legal scholar who has penned several adult books about the Constitution—began writing Fault Lines well before the current administration moved into the White House. The book, which explains that many of the political issues Americans struggle with today have their roots in the Constitution, was suggested by their editor, Kathy Landwehr, v-p and associate publisher of Peachtree, who realized, after researching the genre, that there were no children’s books that focused on some of the Constitution’s potentially problematic tenets.

“The original idea was to publish the book in 2016, the election year,” Cynthia recalled, “but I got diverted for a year writing Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can for HarperCollins. I felt guilty about postponing the publication of Fault Lines, but it turned out to be a blessing, given the outcome of the election, which made our original premise that much more relevant.”

Sanford agreed that the rescheduled 2017 release of their book (which received four starred reviews, including one from PW) was fortuitous, noting, “It would have been a very different and, frankly, an inferior book if it had been published when originally intended, before we could assimilate the events surrounding the presidential election—including the Electoral College fiasco.”

The decision to expand and update Fault Lines was a no-brainer for several reasons. “The Trump presidency generates new issues every day, and things are always changing,” Sanford observed. And when Peachtree began considering reprinting the book in paperback, Landwehr said, “As always, we thought about ways to refresh the book’s content. Since so much had occurred since they finished the original book, Cynthia and Sandy immediately agreed to revise that 2017 edition.

In addition to making updates throughout the book, the authors wrote two new chapters on hot-button political issues: presidential pardons and rapid-fire White House hirings and firings. To expand their mission of keeping up with ongoing political topics and breaking news, and encouraging discussion among readers, the authors post regular updates to their blog.

An Auspicious Relaunch

Also helping to build buzz for the updated edition of Fault Lines are two serendipitous testimonials—one of which is Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me. Earlier this month, the Levinsons were invited by Schreck to participate in a talkback session with audience members after a performance of the play, which won the 2019 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and received two Tony Award nominations—for best play and best actress in a leading role in a play.

“This provocative and fascinating book brought the Constitution to life for me and made me question my deepest assumptions about our country,” Schreck said. “The questions it raises became an essential part of the debate in my play, and I wish every student in America would read it.”

And in a recent New York Times Book Review “By the Book” column, when asked what one book she’d select as required reading for President Trump, author Laurie Halse Anderson cited Fault Lines, calling it “an excellent introduction to the strengths and weaknesses of our founding document” and “especially enlightening for those who don’t yet understand how our government is supposed to work.”

The authors look forward to further enlightening readers with their updated edition. “So much has happened in our nation over the past two years, and while we had moved on to other projects, we felt compelled to come back to this book,” Cynthia said. “It has helped ignite meaningful conversations and debates around our country, and we wanted to make sure readers have the most up-to-date information possible.”

Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today (Revised Edition) by Cynthia and Sanford Levinson. Peachtree, $22.95 Aug. ISBN 978-1-68263-105-8; paper $14.95 ISBN 978-1-68263-106-5