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We Need New Stories: Challenging the Toxic Myths Behind Our Age of Discontent by Nesrine Malik
lajacquerie's review
2.0
Man, I was so excited when I picked up this book. Its premise is that it takes 5 central myths (the myth of political correctness, the myth of harmful identity politics, the myth of national exceptionalism, etc) and it will deconstruct them, including the most common tools/arguments that their proponents use to continue propagating them.
I'm on board with what Malik is saying here and find many of her key points unassailable—the "political correctness" debate is largely manufactured; when you get down to it, ALL politics are identity politics, and much positive progress has come from identity politics; and our sense of national identity (in the United States) is a deeply flawed and myopic/cherry-picked thing. It just didn't feel like much new was brought to the debate, or that a historical "tail" was even drawn up for most of these arguments. It's a slim book (with most of its citations coming from web articles), and perhaps if Malik had more time she could have given it more heft; then again, as a journalist, maybe her strength is in shorter pieces. Less than I'd hoped for was shared about how to unravel these myths or counteract the tools employed to keep them going.
Great, necessary idea for a book. Was hoping for better content, in the end.
I'm on board with what Malik is saying here and find many of her key points unassailable—the "political correctness" debate is largely manufactured; when you get down to it, ALL politics are identity politics, and much positive progress has come from identity politics; and our sense of national identity (in the United States) is a deeply flawed and myopic/cherry-picked thing. It just didn't feel like much new was brought to the debate, or that a historical "tail" was even drawn up for most of these arguments. It's a slim book (with most of its citations coming from web articles), and perhaps if Malik had more time she could have given it more heft; then again, as a journalist, maybe her strength is in shorter pieces. Less than I'd hoped for was shared about how to unravel these myths or counteract the tools employed to keep them going.
Great, necessary idea for a book. Was hoping for better content, in the end.
miskozverys's review
5.0
“This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course this is not total freedom – we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.” - kind of appropriate quote from Homo Sapiens.
If you want a step up from that book and break up some damaging myths prevalent in media and stories adopted and popularised by far right - check out Nesrine Malik. Maybe then we could be be closer to actually freeing ourselves from the past.
If you want a step up from that book and break up some damaging myths prevalent in media and stories adopted and popularised by far right - check out Nesrine Malik. Maybe then we could be be closer to actually freeing ourselves from the past.
red_lemon_diary's review
5.0
A brilliant and we'll researched book. Each chapter amounted to a cathartic experience reading back what I have often felt but struggled to articulate over the last few years. From political correctness becoming a dirty word to the apparent 'free speech crisis' we're constantly reminded of by white old men in their newspaper columns, Nersine upicks the common arguments made for each myth and makes suggestions for how they can be debunked - very refreshing, when most books like these present a problem and end on 'well, I guess someone will have to sort this out.' Essential reading if we're ever going to get out of the mess that is modern politics.
ruthlemon08's review
5.0
This book was incredible. So thought provoking. So powerful. So insightful and yet, although it requires concentration, understandable. I read it alongside a novel as to read cover to cover would be too intense and too bleak. Although it does end on a positive ... strongly recommended to everyone although I fear the people who need to read this most will not do so!
jdintr's review
3.0
This is a book of real insight and some surprises. The "we" of includes Americans and the author, a Sudanese-born British citizen, residing in London--a columnist for The Guardian.
In just under 200 pages, Malik casts a dispassionate look at the six titular myths that divide Americans in precarious times. There is little 'new' about many of the myths: I don't know anyone who believes in that the media are reliable, and only wingnuts cling to the idea of a political correctness "crisis" or American Exceptionalism.
But Malik's perspective is welcome. Americans are stuck in ruts on the right and left of the track, and I think there is room in some of these issues for an outside perspective like hers, particularly on issues of race.
In just under 200 pages, Malik casts a dispassionate look at the six titular myths that divide Americans in precarious times. There is little 'new' about many of the myths: I don't know anyone who believes in that the media are reliable, and only wingnuts cling to the idea of a political correctness "crisis" or American Exceptionalism.
But Malik's perspective is welcome. Americans are stuck in ruts on the right and left of the track, and I think there is room in some of these issues for an outside perspective like hers, particularly on issues of race.
cynstagraphy's review
5.0
At times infuriating, at times inspiring, this book actually "tells it like it is": the history we don't hear in history lessons, the facts that don't care about your supremacist feelings, the truth behind myths that people in power make up as excuses to keep oppressing the powerless. At the end, it clearly gives calls to action for journalists, writers, creators and storytellers in general. We need new stories, our stories, your stories.
jenns_bookshelf's review against another edition
Non-fic that I think… was fine. It didn’t really bring anything new to the table, but it did talk about many very crucial things to be aware of with the myths that society runs with on a daily basis. There was a strong focus on Trump himself, which I could’ve done without (just a broader focus instead of focusing on that orange Cheeto I think would’ve been more educational for me, at least), but it was good. The audiobook narrator wasn’t great, though, so that is a point against it.
katcic's review
5.0
Wow. This was a tough read. So much to take in. Sometimes very demoralizing but ultimately galvanising. Superb writing and forensic dissection of toxic myths.
katiebowers's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
Idk what to rate this book. I did not love it because it presented a lot of the problematic American myths I already know, without presenting much in terms of a solution other than “We need something different then this”. So it left me kind of bummed out. Not saying it isn’t educational, it’s just not what I was hoping for.