A review by abeanbg
Age of Anger: A History of the Present by Pankaj Mishra

5.0

Probably more of a 4.5, but not an option on here. I found this work deeply fascinating and fairly persuasive, even when I struggled with the density of its historical and philosophical references. But, as I said, I find the idea that much of the contemporary world's turmoil stems from the chasm between the promises of liberal, secular, capitalists modernity created in the West and the needs of individuals whose lives cannot ever reach all those promises. It's something of a stretch to connect things as disparate as ISIS, Hindu nationalism, and Trump to the same "restiment" of the prevailing order, but Mishra marshals a lot of evidence to draw those dots. At the very least, the issues and ideas presented here will linger in my head for quite a long time.