Excellent resource
I have used this book in a college class I teach. It is a large book of thoughtfully chosen essays, speeches and short stories on the subject of citizenship in a democracy. It includes classic works of political theory (like John Locke), a speech by President Obama, and short pieces of fiction that raise interesting issues about community and democracy.
Perhaps the most interesting choice the authors made is to include a section in which they present competing views on whether or not a citizen has a "duty" to serve.
This is not a pollyanna-ish view of citizenship -- the editors, through the pieces they have chosen, offer to students a clear-eyed view of democracy, as imperfect as any human institution, and still worth engaging in.
