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In his new 96-page book, How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More than You Think (including a Q&A with the author and a reader's guide), Andrews uses the Holocaust to illustrate his point.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazis were able to kill 6 million Jews and 5 million others because they lied to the people. Adolf Eichmann, in charge of implementing the Final Solution, at first assured Jewish leaders that the barbed wire fences around their neighborhoods was for their protection. The Nazis took bribes from the Jews and promised them better living conditions. Nazi officials would tell the Jews that the Russians were approaching, and they needed to get on the trains and travel somewhere safe. Believing the lie, or wanting to believe it, Jewish families boarded the trains headed for death camps.

What do the Nazis' lies have to do with Americans in the 21^st century? Andrews contends that candidates from both political parties lie to the American people and get away with it. They say whatever they need to say to get elected. We're becoming politically complacent and apathetic. Is the author predicting another Holocaust?

"I am saying that it could happen," Andrews writes. "That's the whole point of the book. History shows that any people who are sheeplike in following their leadership . . . may one day awaken to find that their nation has changed in dramatic ways."

In every federal election for the last 25 years, at least 100 million people of voting age didn't vote. In the same period, says Andrews, no presidential election has been won by more than 10 million ballots cast. The author states that 545 people (535 members of Congress, nine Supreme Court justices, and one president) "are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for every problem America faces," and they hold power over 311 million people. When these leaders lie to us, Americans must demand accountability, but we also must exercise our power to get rid of those who lie.

And yet the people have checked out of politics. They don't vote. They don't care. If we're too trusting or indifferent, we allow evil to grow and spread. How Do You Kill 11 Million People? reads like a warning leading up to the November presidential election. The author implores citizens to start caring about the issues and demanding honesty and integrity from our leaders. If we don't, we will bear the consequences.

Andrews says the purpose of his book is not to engage in a discussion about the left or the right. "Is it possible to write something that doesn't use the words Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, yet conveys a message with which everyone could agree?"

Yes, it's possible not to use the words, but it's difficult to convey a message with which everyone agrees. For example, both sides agree that government is necessary, but both sides strongly disagree on how much power government should have. This is an issue that affects many areas of our lives, from cradle to grave. Although we can strive to straddle the aisle to find common ground, Americans' views on major issues tend to fall one way or the other. Another example: Andrews says he wants present and future leaders to "embrace and live up to America's core principles as written by our Founding Fathers and set forth in our Constitution." Which side of the aisle is more likely to do that?

But Andrews avoids mentioning specific lies or ideologies. He doesn't name names or elaborate on his point with contemporary examples. And perhaps by being purposely vague and focusing on a well-known instance of how dangerous the Big Lie can be, Andrews can influence Americans of all stripes to demand truth and accountability from elected and appointed officials.

Image copyright Thomas Nelson. Review copy supplied by the publisher.

La Shawn Barber is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Christian Research Journal, Christianity Today, and the Washington Examiner. She is a columnist for WORLD magazine online.