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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
medium-paced
Some good history in between the absolute nonsense. Poorly sourced, sloppy and shallow. If you’re interested in why America is so weird you won’t find the answer here.
He makes some very interesting connections and arguments, but his writing could use some work.
The central thesis of the book is that the religious fundamentalist roots of early America set the stage for a really wild society full of people ready to believe in crazy ideas. He runs through so much American history, filled with crazy anecdotes of crazy preachers, cult leaders, hippies, and even government conspiracies. It was at time too long and too judgemental in its town, but it's definitely an interesting perspective to entertain in order to see the dark side of America's propensity for strong beliefs.
This is must-reading for the modern age. It has the best theory of how the modern socio-political paradigm game to be that I have read.
Andersen is acerbic, and doesn't "hold punches" as they say, but he is ruthlessly in favor of the land of grown-ups, science, and truth, which is hard to argue against.
I did check on a few of his references/footnotes, and in a couple of them the truth is stretched a little bit (kind of ironic) but it doesn't take away from the inherent story. As a journalist, he has a penchant for adding in some extra drama at certain points.
He creates a compelling story about how religion, the left, and the right, and academia played off of each other to lead us into our modern and scary "post truth" age. There isn't a happy ending, but the story is not over yet.
I often skip these types of pop-history books, but I'm very glad I read this one. It has made an impact on me.
Andersen is acerbic, and doesn't "hold punches" as they say, but he is ruthlessly in favor of the land of grown-ups, science, and truth, which is hard to argue against.
I did check on a few of his references/footnotes, and in a couple of them the truth is stretched a little bit (kind of ironic) but it doesn't take away from the inherent story. As a journalist, he has a penchant for adding in some extra drama at certain points.
He creates a compelling story about how religion, the left, and the right, and academia played off of each other to lead us into our modern and scary "post truth" age. There isn't a happy ending, but the story is not over yet.
I often skip these types of pop-history books, but I'm very glad I read this one. It has made an impact on me.
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Highly recommended for you to read, but this is important: read it in 2018. It will make a difference in how you perceive the soon-to-be circus that we will live through in the coming year.
Do not dismiss this as another cheap shot or just opinion-flaunting, there is good history here. The book is a little long for the audience I think would most benefit from reading it, but then, they are not going to do so anyway.
It is structured something like "Stairway to Heaven", pretty, a little slow, but after the first couple of stanzas when you start to want some resolution, you get more and more stanzas. The great payoff is the last quarter, like the guitar solo. There is some very insightful writing and some rigorous thinking. It ends in very present times, just right for you this year. Do it.
Do not dismiss this as another cheap shot or just opinion-flaunting, there is good history here. The book is a little long for the audience I think would most benefit from reading it, but then, they are not going to do so anyway.
It is structured something like "Stairway to Heaven", pretty, a little slow, but after the first couple of stanzas when you start to want some resolution, you get more and more stanzas. The great payoff is the last quarter, like the guitar solo. There is some very insightful writing and some rigorous thinking. It ends in very present times, just right for you this year. Do it.
i didn’t actually finish this but the first part was good and the recent era of stuff going on was also good! i recommend those parts of it- the rest though i have no comment on