Politics & Government
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Vital reading for Americans and people
anywhere who seek to understand what is happening ‘after the fall’ of the
global system created by the United States” (New York Journal of Books),
from the former White House aide, close confidant to President Barack
Obama, and author of The World as It Is At a time when democracy in the
United States is endangered as never before, Ben Rhodes spent years
traveling the world to understand why. He visited dozens of countries,
meeting with politicians and activists confronting the same nationalism and
authoritarianism that are tearing America apart. Along the way, he
discusses the growing authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin, and his
aggression towards Ukraine, with the foremost opposition leader in Russia,
who was subsequently poisoned and imprisoned; he profiled Hong Kong
protesters who saw their movement snuffed out by China under Xi
Jinping; and America itself reached the precipice of losing democracy
before giving itself a fragile second chance. The characters and issues
that Rhodes illuminates paint a picture that shows us where we are
today—from Barack Obama to a rising generation of international leaders;
from the authoritarian playbook endangering democracy to the flood of
disinformation enabling authoritarianism. Ultimately, Rhodes writes
personally and powerfully about finding hope in the belief that looking
squarely at where America has gone wrong can make clear how essential it is
to fight for what America is supposed to be, for our own country and the
entire world. Read more

 

Genre Politics & Social Sciences