AMERICA

A retired director and producer’s case for restoring America’s fractured political landscape.

Dedicated “to everyone on the planet who wishes we could start all over again,” this book calls for a return to “common sense, reason, and compromise.” Using the past six years as a lens through which to view America’s fracturing, Emery’s guide focuses on the major themes of the Trump era, which continue to reverberate even after the president’s 2020 electoral defeat. In addition to chapter-length overviews of major events, such as Black Lives Matter protests, Covid-19, and the January 6 insurrection, Emery also examines broader questions about America’s future, from changing demographics and social media to “the loss of civility” and threats to democracy. Though the book’s center-left approach may irk ideological detractors on the right, it offers reasoned and informed takes that are supported by solid research. Admirably, the author follows his own advice in his critiques of politicians, particularly those inside Donald Trump’s populist circles, focusing on their policies and actions rather than resorting to ad hominem attacks or straw-man arguments. While a return to “normalcy” is central to the book’s objective, it also doesn’t seek a return to a sanitized version of the past, arguing, “we cannot just wish all that has happened away.” With a career as a director and producer of feature length films, documentaries, and television shows, as well as postretirement publication of SF thrillers, Emery is a skilled storyteller with a gripping writing style that effectively distills the social, cultural, and political milieu of the last six years into less than 300 pages. The solid prose, however, sometimes includes an overabundance of quotes from classical literature, philosophy, and movies. While most of the quotes are poignant or provocative in isolation, their occurrence on nearly every page of text makes for a fragmented read that unnecessarily breaks up otherwise engrossing political commentary.

A well-argued, if disjointed, case for political and social healing in the U.S.