edited by Kate Aronoff & Peter Dreier & Michael Kazin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 14, 2020
A book of inspired opinion certain to provoke spirited political debate and proactive discussions.
A collection of unique perspectives on democratic socialism.
Aronoff (co-author: A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal, 2019), Dreier (Politics/Occidental Coll.; The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Social Justice Hall of Fame, 2012, etc.) and Kazin (History/Georgetown Univ.; War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918, 2017, etc.) deliver a chorus of intellectual voices who describe their vision for democratic socialism systems in the U.S. as well as assessments of inevitable roadblocks. The editors’ introductory essays offer a crash course in the history of the socialist movement, particularly its incremental resurgence from the federal programs of the 1930s through the social activist movements of the 21st century. As they warn, the mechanics of socialism in other countries offer lessons but not necessarily blueprints. They also address how the “hidden rules of race and racism” must first be overcome before any kind of economic justice can be realized. Each piece is thoughtful and regimented and includes a usable plan of action. Economist Darrick Hamilton hypothesizes a three-part playbook of policies to remediate our unjust financial system while historian Thomas Sugrue proposes a restructuring of the housing and transit markets to create more livable urban and rural spaces. Naomi Klein discusses how enacting the Green New Deal would prioritize and confront the issue of climate change head-on. Social justice advocate Dorothy Roberts addresses the comprehensive impact of universal health care, and journalist Michelle Chen examines the advantages of open borders. The contributors also survey education, sports, election systems, reproductive justice, and the arts. Sensible and convincing, the book takes on the country’s current “troubled plutocracy” and proposes ways “to build a kinder, more humane, and altogether freer society.” Even for those not inclined to agree with its core objective, the book challenges and motivates readers to act and appeal for “daunting but not impossible” changes.
A book of inspired opinion certain to provoke spirited political debate and proactive discussions.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62-097521-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: The New Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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More by Kate Aronoff
BOOK REVIEW
by Kate Aronoff
by Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2018
The value of this book is the context it provides, in a style aimed at a concerned citizenry rather than fellow academics,...
A provocative analysis of the parallels between Donald Trump’s ascent and the fall of other democracies.
Following the last presidential election, Levitsky (Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America, 2003, etc.) and Ziblatt (Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy, 2017, etc.), both professors of government at Harvard, wrote an op-ed column titled, “Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?” The answer here is a resounding yes, though, as in that column, the authors underscore their belief that the crisis extends well beyond the power won by an outsider whom they consider a demagogue and a liar. “Donald Trump may have accelerated the process, but he didn’t cause it,” they write of the politics-as-warfare mentality. “The weakening of our democratic norms is rooted in extreme partisan polarization—one that extends beyond policy differences into an existential conflict over race and culture.” The authors fault the Republican establishment for failing to stand up to Trump, even if that meant electing his opponent, and they seem almost wistfully nostalgic for the days when power brokers in smoke-filled rooms kept candidacies restricted to a club whose members knew how to play by the rules. Those supporting the candidacy of Bernie Sanders might take as much issue with their prescriptions as Trump followers will. However, the comparisons they draw to how democratic populism paved the way toward tyranny in Peru, Venezuela, Chile, and elsewhere are chilling. Among the warning signs they highlight are the Republican Senate’s refusal to consider Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee as well as Trump’s demonization of political opponents, minorities, and the media. As disturbing as they find the dismantling of Democratic safeguards, Levitsky and Ziblatt suggest that “a broad opposition coalition would have important benefits,” though such a coalition would strike some as a move to the center, a return to politics as usual, and even a pragmatic betrayal of principles.
The value of this book is the context it provides, in a style aimed at a concerned citizenry rather than fellow academics, rather than in the consensus it is not likely to build.Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6293-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
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BOOK REVIEW
by Bari Weiss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2019
A forceful, necessarily provocative call to action for the preservation and protection of American Jewish freedom.
Known for her often contentious perspectives, New York Times opinion writer Weiss battles societal Jewish intolerance through lucid prose and a linear playbook of remedies.
While she was vividly aware of anti-Semitism throughout her life, the reality of the problem hit home when an active shooter stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue where her family regularly met for morning services and where she became a bat mitzvah years earlier. The massacre that ensued there further spurred her outrage and passionate activism. She writes that European Jews face a three-pronged threat in contemporary society, where physical, moral, and political fears of mounting violence are putting their general safety in jeopardy. She believes that Americans live in an era when “the lunatic fringe has gone mainstream” and Jews have been forced to become “a people apart.” With palpable frustration, she adroitly assesses the origins of anti-Semitism and how its prevalence is increasing through more discreet portals such as internet self-radicalization. Furthermore, the erosion of civility and tolerance and the demonization of minorities continue via the “casual racism” of political figures like Donald Trump. Following densely political discourses on Zionism and radical Islam, the author offers a list of bullet-point solutions focused on using behavioral and personal action items—individual accountability, active involvement, building community, loving neighbors, etc.—to help stem the tide of anti-Semitism. Weiss sounds a clarion call to Jewish readers who share her growing angst as well as non-Jewish Americans who wish to arm themselves with the knowledge and intellectual tools to combat marginalization and defuse and disavow trends of dehumanizing behavior. “Call it out,” she writes. “Especially when it’s hard.” At the core of the text is the author’s concern for the health and safety of American citizens, and she encourages anyone “who loves freedom and seeks to protect it” to join with her in vigorous activism.
A forceful, necessarily provocative call to action for the preservation and protection of American Jewish freedom.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-593-13605-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2019
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