Giving Up Is Unforgivable by Joyce Vance

Giving Up Is Unforgivable

A Manual for Keeping a Democracy

Joyce Vance

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 21, 2025

Instant New York Times bestseller A political manifesto for our present moment—part history lesson, part call to save the Republic "Brilliant, galvanizing, and inspirational.

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Who it’s for
A clear-eyed mix of legal context, political history, and encouragement to stay engaged.
Genres
Democracy, Constitutional Law, Civics
Published
Penguin Publishing Group, October 21, 2025

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About this book

Instant New York Times bestseller A political manifesto for our present moment—part history lesson, part call to save the Republic "Brilliant, galvanizing, and inspirational. A road map to help us find our way out of the darkness." —Mary L. Trump We’re in this together. For the past several years, Joyce Vance has signed off posts on her chart-topping Substack, "Civil Discourse", with these four words.

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In that time, she has guided readers through a continued erosion of democratic norms, the unprecedented felony conviction of an ex-president, and the constitutionally calamitous beginning to the second Trump administration. Here, Vance offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair, and for strengthening our democratic muscle. Giving Up Is Unforgivable is a clarion call to action, putting our current crisis in historical context and sketching out a vision for where we go next. Vance’s message is hopeful at its heart, even as it acknowledges the daunting challenges that lie ahead. She is the constitutional law professor you never knew you needed, explaining the legal context and the political history— and why the rule of the law still matters. At the same time, she empowers the reader to do something, both as individuals and collectively. Consider this the birth of a countermovement to Project 2025, a rallying cry for citizen engagement to combat the second Trump administration and save American democracy.

Civic Bearings

A clear-eyed mix of legal context, political history, and encouragement to stay engaged.

Come here for

  • Constitutional context joined to political history
  • A hopeful call to strengthen democratic participation

Expect

  • A frank account of democratic strain, grounded in history and law
  • Encouragement to act individually and together

Where it sits

Constitutional Law31%
Democracy25%
Civics24%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Constitutional Law
  • Civics
  • Survival & Emergency Preparedness
Authors
Joyce Vance
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
October 21, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Constitutional Law