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Political Science Civil Rights

American Nightmare

Facing the Challenge of Fascism

by (author) Henry A. Giroux

foreword by George Yancy

Publisher
City Lights Publishers
Initial publish date
Jul 2018
Category
Civil Rights, Terrorism, Fascism & Totalitarianism
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780872867536
    Publish Date
    Jul 2018
    List Price
    $27.95
  • CD-Audio

    ISBN
    9781713601937
    Publish Date
    Mar 2021
    List Price
    $36.99

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Description

Are we in the beginning of a new fascist era?

As white supremacy, ultra-nationalism, rabid misogyny and anti-immigrant fervor coalesce, a new and uniquely American form of fascism looms. Could our current moment actually bring about the end of democracy in the United States? Are Americans willing to surrender their freedom and dignity, along with their ongoing struggle for equality, justice and mutual respect in the face of the rising tide of political and ideological extremism?

In this provocative collection of essays, Henry Giroux warns of the consequences of doing too little as Trump and the so-called alt-right relentlessly attack critics, journalists, and target the hard-earned civil rights of women, people of color, immigrants, the working class, and low-income Americans. As we face down the frightening reality of living under a system that serves only the interests of the wealthy few, Giroux makes a passionate call for ordinary citizens to organize, educate, and resist by all available means.

Praise for American Nightmare:

"In this current era of corporate media misdirection and misinformation . . . 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, lead vocalist for The Strokes

"In frightening times like these, what is desperately needed is an informed and wise voice that speaks clearly and with conviction about the situation we are in, and what can be done. Henry Giroux is one of the great public intellectuals of our times, and American Nightmare is exactly the book for people grappling with how to understand the Trump era and how to proceed. This is precisely the book that needs to be shared with friends and acquaintances. It will provoke hard thinking, bring clarity, and stimulate much needed conversation and action."—Robert W. McChesney, co-author of People Get Ready: The Fight Against a Jobless Economy and a Citizenless Democracy

"We have no greater chronicler of these dystopian times. Giroux's critique cuts to the crux of today’s authoritarian crisis, yet his voice remains of one hope that the people may collectively regain control. Even while living though systemic efforts to privatize hope, Giroux’s critique enacts the sort of shared resistance that can effectively challenge authoritarianism. American Nightmare demonstrates how we can resist the normalization of hate, authoritarianism and alienation in Trump’s America. He shows us that not only are we not alone, but we are among a majority who oppose the cruelties of American social policies."—David H. Price, author of Cold War Anthropology: The CIA and the Growth of Dual Use Anthropology

"At a moment when the news cycle presents the dangers of Trumpian authoritarianism through disjointed and discrete hottakes, Giroux's wide-reaching analysis accounts for our current American nightmare with necessary historical context, and in so doing creates an aperture for resistance more meaningful than a hashtag."—Natasha Lennard, contributing writer for The Intercept, co-editor of Violence: Humans in Dark Times

About the authors

span style=""font-weight: bold;"">Henry A. Giroux holds the Global Television Network Chair in Communications at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He is the author of many books, including span style=""font-style: italic;"">Public Spaces/Private Lives: Democracy Beyond 9/11 (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003), span style=""font-style: italic;"">The Abandoned Generation: Democracy Beyond the Culture of Fear (Palgrave, 2003), and span style=""font-style: italic;"">Take Back Higher Education: Race, Youth, and the Crisis of Democracy in the Post-Civil Rights Era (Palgrave, 2004).

Henry A. Giroux's profile page

George Yancy's profile page

Editorial Reviews

Praise for American Nightmare:

"Giroux eloquently yet forcefully makes the case that the United States has indeed become a fascist state, embodying many of the characteristics of the regimes of the 20th century as well as current prototypes. … Giroux argues Trump and his Trumpists not only emulate regimes of the past, but also bring to the table a new corporate authoritarianism that perpetually normalizes white supremacy, ignorance of the masses and massive concentrations of wealth in the hands of the few. … American Nightmare is not only a conceptual analysis of fascism in the U.S., but also a massive wake-up call to the left."—Winnipeg Free Press

"Overall, this work is a highly articulate demolition of the Trump agenda, which comprehensively and briskly covers the many high crimes and propaganda tactics of an avowedly plutocratic, authoritarian administration."—New York Journal of Books

Praise for America at War with Itself by Henry A. Giroux:

"It is all but impossible to do justice to the value of this tapestry of explication and insight, essential elements to a broadened and deepened awareness of the horrific political and economic developments that are unfolding in American and elsewhere"—Ned Haggard, Chicago Life Magazine (distributed in the Sunday New York Times)

"Giroux manages to link together almost every dysfunctional aspect of American society in a cohesive account that is really important to read"—Tikkun

"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

"Giroux prescribes ways to teach critical thinking . . . his argument for active citizenship is important and stimulating."—Booklist

"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."—Olivia Ward, Toronto Star

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