Understanding American Government Author:Susan Welch, John Gruhl, Michael Steinman UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is a mainstream text with diverse perspectives. Focusing on the responsiveness of government, it helps students understand the evolution and impact of important features of government. The book is a three-time winner of the annual award given by the womenÆs caucus of APSA for coverage of women. Written in a... more »n engaging writing style and with more research citations than any book on the market, UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is readable and scholarly. As the brief version of AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, Seventh Edition, UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT excludes the four policy chapters. Otherwise, the books are identical, and share the same supplemental package.« less