I REALLY DO CARE, SHOULDN'T WE ALL?

A critique of polarization in contemporary politics.

Redman begins her narrative with the harrowing journey taken by her family in 1991 as they fled the Soviet Union to seek political asylum in the West. She would eventually become a naturalized citizen of Australia and a successful scholar in educational methodology and pedagogy. Here, she expertly blends her personal biography with a biting critique of today’s social and political divides that are fracturing even the most stable Western democracies. Though the book touches on myriad topics, the crux of its argument lies in Redman’s opposition to an apathetic “ ‘I Don’t Care’…culture that provides fertile soil for dehumanization to grow.” A post–Cold War neoliberal emphasis on cutthroat individualism and competition, especially in education, not only devalues humanism and empathy but “reinforces a preoccupation with an adversary.” This combative approach is embodied in Donald Trump and is also seen in the rising tide of nationalism and anti-immigration sentiment in Europe and Australia. While critical of this populist brand of right-wing politics, Redman is equally skeptical of its socialist alternative, drawing extensively on her experiences in the USSR. Moving beyond a right vs. left dichotomy, the book longs for a solution in the “golden middle” that points us “towards a better version of our true selves.” With a solid grasp on U.S. domestic politics as well as geopolitical relations, Redman’s narrative is insightful and informative, with ample sociological, psychological, and literary references. A chapter comparing the personality of Trump to Soviet dictators Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin is particularly compelling as the author draws parallels among the three men whose rhetorical styles lean heavy on hyperbolic self-aggrandizement and who revel in their cultlike following. The book is at times, however, meandering, with near chapter-length discursions into the history of Marxism and the Soviet Union. Though well-written, this makes for a dense read that often brings the reader a long way from the book’s original thesis.

A well-researched, thoughtful, if wandering, sociopolitical analysis of the contemporary West.