Henry A. Giroux - American Nightmare: Facing the Challenge of Fascism

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR HENRY GIROUXS

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE FACING THE CHALLENGE OF FASCISM

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

At a moment when the news cycle presents the dangers of Trumpian authoritarianism through disjointed and discrete hottakes, Girouxs 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

We have no greater chronicler of these dystopian times. Girouxs critique cuts to the crux of todays authoritarian crisis, yet his voice remains one of hope that the people may collectively regain control. Even while living though systemic efforts to privatize hope, Girouxs 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 Trumps 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

In this passionately argued volume, Henry Giroux, long known for his critical commentaries on the de-democratization of the U.S.A., on its rising inequ(al)ity and neoliberal excesses, reflects very thoughtfully on the specter of Trumps America: on its violence, cruelty, and incivility, its burgeoning authoritarianism, its inexorable edging toward a Grave Neo World: in short, a rising specter that demands to be countered at all cost if the U.S. is to be rescued from itself.

John Comaroff, Professor of African and
African American Studies and of Anthropology,
Harvard University

PRAISE FOR HENRY GIROUXS

AMERICA AT WAR WITH ITSELF

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

In America at War with Itself, Henry Giroux again proves himself one of North Americas 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. Giroux also connects the dots of reckless greed, corporate impunity, poverty, mass incarceration, racism, and the co-opting of education to crush critical thinking and promote a culture that denigrates and even criminalizes civil society and the public good. His latest work is the antidote to an alarming tide of toxic authoritarianism that threatens to engulf America. The book could not be timelier.

Toronto Star

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 America and elsewhere.

Chicago Life Magazine (distributed by
the New York Times)

In this current era of corporate media misdirection and misinformation, America at War with Itself is a must-read for all Americans, especially young people. 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, whats 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

This cogent and hard-hitting book puts on display the many factors that are eating away at democracy in the United States as the public embraces a new brand of toxic authoritarianism.... The snappiest section in America at War with Itself contains a detailed and thought-provoking profile of Donald Trump and his vision of America animated by guns, walls, surveillance, prisons, media, wars, racism, and xenophobia.... Whether he is pondering the racism of police in Ferguson or the pursuit of revenge by ISIS, the author always brings us home to what this all means for us today. In this regard, he concludes: Violence has become Americas national sport and its chief mode of entertainment.

Spirituality & Practice

Henry Giroux has become the Lefts most articulate and insightful critic of Americas distorted political life, highlighting its authoritarian turn and the political illiteracy that our culture fosters and that the media help channel into racism, the worship of money and power, and an ethos of survival-of-the-fittest that produces the foundation for renewed fascistic movements. The alternative is a critical pedagogy linked to an ongoing project of democratization and the defense of public spheres capable of producing thoughtful citizens, critically engaged communities, and an ethically and socially responsible society. Giroux manages to link together almost every dysfunctional aspect of American society in a cohesive account that is really important to read!

Tikkun Magazine

Giroux, a public intellectual, academic, and prolific author, sounds a wake-up call about growing threats to democracy. He observes that cutthroat capitalism nurtures intolerant viewpoints that muzzle opposition and label swaths of society as undesirable outsiders. Popular media and hyper consumerism emphasize celebrity culture and material distractions over civic engagement, creating social passivity. Education focuses on technical skills and multiple-choice tests, rather than helping students see how knowledge can lead to an effective life. Time and money are being shaped by nonstop markets and a get-rich mania, not by long-term investment in the public good. Giroux prescribes ways to teach critical thinking.... His argument for active citizenship is important and stimulating.

Booklist

AMERICAN
NIGHTMARE

Facing the Challenge of Fascism

Henry A. Giroux

Foreword by George Yancy

City Lights Books | Open Media Series

Copyright 2018 by Henry A. Giroux

Foreword Copyright 2018 by George Yancy

All Rights Reserved.

Open Media Series Editor: Greg Ruggiero

ISBN: 978-0-87286-753-6

Cover photograph: Roger Ballen

Library of Congress Data

Names: Giroux, Henry A., author.

Title: American nightmare : facing the challenge of facism / Henry A. Giroux ; foreword by George Yancy.

Description: San Francisco : City Lights Books, [2018] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017058312 (print) | LCCN 2018012428 (ebook) |

ISBN
9780872867796 | ISBN 9780872867536

Subjects: LCSH: United StatesPolitics and government2016- | Trump, Donald, 1946- | AuthoritarianismUnited States. | Political cultureUnited States.