BOOKS

(Parallax, 2026)

On Mindful Democracy presents a radical reimagination of democracy: it is not a war between political parties; it is a communal practice of how we care for each other and the life that we share. Beginning with a rewriting of the Declaration of Independence as a Declaration of Interdependence, this book offers an antidote to political burnout and civic despair. Here you will find a rousing call for a new politics based in everyday acts of mindfulness, compassion, and connection: for there is no way to democracy, democracy is the way.

(Inner Traditions, 2026)

“Namaste” has become a common phrase to say at the end of yoga classes, but its deeper significance is often overlooked. This Sanskrit greeting means “I bow to the divine in you,” and symbolizes recognition and respect for the divinity in others. This deeply personal and practical book invites readers to see “namaste” as more than a polite expression. It is a powerful principle for building connection and community.

(University of Chicago Press, 2021)

It might be surprising given our nation’s emphasis on individualism and diversity, but the theme of oneness has long preoccupied American thinkers. The Ethics of Oneness explores how the American Transcendentalists—including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman—read the treasured work of Indian philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, for what it had to say about oneness. This book reorients talk of oneness toward questions of ethics and democracy. It asks, what makes a philosophy of oneness ethical? In what ways can a philosophy of oneness be adapted for democracy?

(SUNY Press, 2018)

The Art of Gratitude explores the central, and often paradoxical, role that gratitude plays in democratic politics. Viewed as thanksgiving, rather than indebtedness (as in the common phrase, “I owe you a debt of gratitude”), gratitude becomes a strong foundation for democracy that reorients our politics away from resentment, anger, and division and toward a renewed emphasis on the common good.

(Penn State University Press, 2015)

The Politics of Resentment asks, how did American politics become so violent, and how did the American people become so divided? By tracing the central role that the emotion of resentment has played in our politics since Revolutionary War, this book answers these questions. It is written to enable citizens to have the kinds of conversations that are desperately needed, right now, in order to live the United States of America’s founding ideals: life, liberty, happiness, and equality.

(Michigan State University Press, 2010)

Enemyship examines the founding paradox of the United States: the very same revolutionary, democratic energy unleashed by the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence threatened the new nation once independence was won. To navigate this paradox, the founders of the United States utilized the rhetoric of "enemyship," calling upon Americans to unite in opposition to their shared national enemies. In so doing, they wrote a script that we continue to act out, even today.