How can a nation composed of states that range from Utah ("The church of states") to Vermont ("The state of relevant old people") possibly hang together? In Colin Quinn's new book, the popular comedian, social commentator, and star of the shows Red State Blue State and Unconstitutional tackles the condition of our union today. Running state-by-state, from Connecticut to Hawaii, Quinn calls us out and identifies the hypocrisies inherent in what we claim to believe and what we actually do . Within a framework of big-picture thinking about systems of government--after all, how would you put this country together if you started from scratch today?--to dead-on-funny observations about the quirks and vibes of the citizens in each region, Overstated skewers us all, red, blue, and purple, and is infused with the same blend of optimism and practicality that sparked the U.S. into being. As Quinn writes, "We made promises in the Constitution that no one can live up to. A representative democracy has a lot of flaws to it--because representatives are humans. They have to deal with hundreds of different needs and personalities in their districts.

And there are just too many people! It's like your wedding. You plan the tables to make sure the people who hate each other don't sit too close. You want to say 'hi' to everybody, but ultimately you spend time with the people with the biggest envelope.".