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America at War with Itself
America at War with Itself | Henry A Giroux
2 posts | 2 read | 36 to read
From poisoned water and police violence in our cities, to gun massacres and hate-mongering on the presidential campaign trail, evidence that America is at war with itself is everywhere around us. The question is not whether or not it's happening, but how to understand the forces at work in order to prevent conditions from getting worse. Henry A. Giroux offers a powerful, far-reaching critique of the economic interests, cultural dimensions, and political dynamics involved in the nation's shift toward increasingly abusive forms of power. His analysis helps us to frame critical questions about what can and should be done to turn things around while we can.Reflecting on a wide range of social issues, Giroux contrasts Donald Trump's America with Sandra Bland's to understand who really benefits from politically fueled intolerance for immigrants, communities of color, Muslims, low-income families, and those who challenge state and corporate power. A passionate advocate for civil rights and the importance of the imagination, Giroux argues that only through widespread social investment in democracy and education can the common good hope to prevail over the increasingly concentrated influence of extreme right-wing politicians and self-serving economic interests.Praise for America at War with Itself "This is the book Americans need to read now. No one is better than Henry Giroux at analyzing the truly dangerous threats to our society. He punctures our delusions and offers us a compelling and enlightened vision of a better way. America at War with Itself is the best book of the year."Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and former Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times"In this current era of corporate media misdirection and misinformation, America at War with Itself is a must read for all Americans, especially young people. Henry Giroux is one of the few great political voices of today, with powerful insight into the truth. Dr. Giroux is defiantly explaining, against the grain, what's REALLY going on right now, and doing so quite undeniably. Simply put, the ideas he brings forth are a beacon that need to be seen and heard and understood in order for the world to progress."Julian Casablancas"In America at War with Itself, Henry Giroux again proves himself one of North America s most clear-sighted radical philosophers of education, culture and politics: radical because he discards the chaff of liberal critique and cuts to the root of the ills that are withering democracy. Giroux also connects the dots of reckless greed, corporate impunity, poverty, mass incarceration, racism and the co-opting of education to crush critical thinking and promote a culture that denigrates and even criminalizes civil society and the public good. His latest work is the antidote to an alarming tide of toxic authoritarianism that threatens to engulf America. The book could not be more timely."Olivia Ward, Toronto Star"America at War with Itself makes the case for real ideological and structural change at a time when the need and stakes could not be greater. Everyone who cares about the survival and revival of democracy needs to read this book. Kenneth Saltman, Professor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Author of The Failure of Corporate School ReformHenry A. Giroux's most recent books include The Violence of Organized Forgetting and America's Addiction to Terrorism. A prolific writer and political commentator, he has appeared in a wide range of media, including the New York Times and Bill Moyers."
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BookishFeminist
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Want to know how the US has crept closer & closer to authoritarianism? Want to know how we got to Trump? Read this book. This book clearly articulates most of my thoughts about the United States' longstanding relationship with authoritarian policies & shows that our creep toward fascism hasn't just been recent. It isn't a republican vs democrat problem, but rather how our foreign policy & relationship with marginalized people has worked.👇🏼

BookishFeminist This was published in September prior to the election, but it does a great job of describing how Trump is Frankenstein's monster that isn't an outlier in the system, but someone created by it. It does a good job describing the overt fascism and authoritarianism in his policies and demeanor & proposes how education and critical thinking can be used to combat it. 👇🏼 7y
BookishFeminist I've had a lot of issues with the way people have been framing "how we got to Trump" since the election happened, particularly when folks say it is mostly due to class inequality. While that's part of the answer, it isn't the whole picture and allows longstanding policies toward our treatment of people of color to be swept under the rug & doesn't include the overt role racism has also had in economic oppression. ?? 7y
BookishFeminist This book does a great job of parsing out those arguments & articulating that economics has a lot to do with it, but our treatment of Flint, Ferguson, Native Nations, etc. have been consistently authoritarian. Do I agree 100% with everything in this book? Nope, but it's a good place to start if you want to learn more about some of issues we've consistently had with conservative and neoliberal policies. 👇🏼 7y
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BookishFeminist This has in-depth analysis of how Black Lives Matter has addressed these problems, how Flint happened, why Sandra Bland's death was so important, and how our foreign affairs policies have helped ISIS & domestic terrorism grow rather than quell it. It's fairly short but it is well-researched, so it's a great starting place for further reading. 7y
BookishFeminist POLITE REQUEST: I'm really exhausted from talking politics lately since I'm in the trenches in DC. I don't expect or necessarily want you to agree with everything I say but I do ask that you please not use this review to get into a stressful discussion about politics with me. If you do I probably won't engage with it. I promise it's nothing personal & I love you all, but I'm very burnt out but would still love to provide reviews. ❤️ (edited) 7y
LeahBergen Great review! 7y
BookishFeminist @LeahBergen Thank you ❤️😘 7y
BooksForEmpathy ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. 7y
DeborahSmall Sounds great x thank you 😘 7y
BookishMarginalia Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Sounds like I need this! Hug 💜 7y
LikelyLibrarian I've read Giroux's The Mouse that Roared and often use excerpts from it in the classroom. I realize he's a bit too "opinionated" for some people's taste, but I agree; his work is always well researched. I'm excited to add this to my list. 7y
Megabooks Sending you lots of love!! Great review. ❤️💜💙💖 7y
BookishFeminist @LikelyLibrarian this is the first book by Giroux I've read but many of his others look good. I'll add The Mouse that Roared to my tbr. I hope you enjoy this one! I found it articulated a lot of stuff I've been saying for a long time now that folks seem to just be coming to grips with or skimming the surface of. But yes, he is opinionated. 😂 I don't even disagree w/ him so much as I find his conclusions repetitive/overdone if that makes sense. 7y
BookishFeminist @Ebooksandcooks Thank you!! 😘 sending love back! 7y
BookishFeminist @BookishMarginalia I think you'd find his research & analysis to be solid and informative even if his conclusions are a little overdone. Interested to see what you think if/when you read it. Sending hugs back ❤️ 7y
BookishFeminist @BooksForEmpathy ❤️❤️❤️ @DeborahSmall no problem at all. 😘 I thought it was really concise about a lot of major issues in the US. 7y
Loretta @BookishFeminist What you pointed out from the book above, about the treatment of POC in the States, reminds me of Part of the talk by Junot Diaz I went to. Basically, he stated that white supremacy is ingrained in American life (and who gets to be "white" shifts over time, but still). (I'm clearly still LIVING for that talk.) In any case, I couldn't agree more and will have to add this book to my pile. ?? 7y
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Erin01
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I haven't heard much about this one but it was on the list of books eligible for a certain promo for kobo super points members & the reviews I've seen look good so I decided to give it a try. Not sure if I am ready yet to dive into anymore books about american politics, but at least it will be here for when I am 📚

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