Harvey J. Kaye - Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again

I never write a piece without first testing my ideas and assertions in conversation with friends, comrades, and family members and however they respond, they always help me sharpen my arguments. As a happy consequence, I owe much to many.

For their many and diverse contributions to my recent thinking about politics past and present, I warmly thank Thomas LeBien, Sarah Russo, Jon Shelton, Alison Staudinger, Andrew Austin, John Nichols, John Cusack, Alyssa Milano, Peter Morley, Mike Burns, Nomi Prins, Rick Brookhiser, Ken Burchell, David Imler, Christian Emanuel, Catie Bauman, Sid Bremer, Jerry Rodesch, Ron and Suzy Pfeifer, Steve and Suze Lomazow, and Norman Lear.

For enabling me to speak on-air or at public events, I thank Jonathan Holloway, Thom Hartmann, John Fugelsang, Nicole Sandler, Dean Obeidallah, Tom Sipos, Matt Tomasetti, Lesley Groetsch, Mary Angela Perna, Rick Smith, Josh Zepps, Ben Mankiewicz, Mark Thompson, R.J. Eskow, Kelly Carlin, Steve Paulson, Sam Edwards, Marcus Morris, Paul Sparrow, Clifford Laube, JoAnne Myers, Robert Pyne, Michael Brooks, Gary Miller, Greg Davis, and Ken Germanson.

And for empowering me to write as a public intellectual these past several years, I thank Michael Tomasky of The Guardian, Rick Shenkman at History News Network, Lynn Parramore of New Deal 2.0, Michael Kazin at Dissent, Lucas Wittman and Malcolm Jones of the Daily Beast, Isaiah Poole of the Campaign for Americas Future, Michael Winship, Theresa Riley, and Kristin Miller of Moyers and Company.

Every professor needs educating. For challenging me and making me smile, I send hugs to former UW-Green Bay Democracy and Justice Studies students Paul Ahrens, Tess Schleitwiler, Jason Just, Arthur Sonneland, Zoe Rose Dunk, Andrea Fox, Chris Parker, Sierra Spaulding, Nate Fiene, Anastasia McCain Coppersmith, Chad Osteen, Vlad Bilyy, and Evan Ash and to York University graduate student Kirsten Per Andersen.

For believing my words bear repeating, getting me to reduce the possible contents of this volume to a real selection, and making me think anew about what I originally said and might yet say, I thank Zero Books publisher Doug Lain. I have truly relished our editorial meetings via Skype and our podcast-conversations on Zero Squared. Here too, I must give an additional shout out to Michael Brooks for introducing these many chapters and me to Doug.

Family matters most, and I have a special one. For never failing to let me know me what they think (almost always with affection), I once again happily thank, and express my love for, the intrepid editorial team of my life-long partner Lorna and our daughters Rhiannon and Fiona.

This volume is dedicated both to my mentors and friends Bill Moyers and Bernie Weisberger and to my grandboy Toby Gareth Imler. Thank you, Bill. Thank you for having me on Moyers & Company more than once, supporting me in my efforts to cultivate a truly democratic story of America, kidding me regularly about a host of things, and especially for sharing both your friendship and your friends with me.

Thank you, dear Bernie. Thank you for your timely, expressive, and informative emails. They are the finest history seminar I have ever attended. Indeed, thank you for sharing with me your insights, exasperations, and Greatest Generation memories both historical and personal. You always educate me and you are wonderful.

Finally, thank you Toby. Thank you for your energy, enthusiasm, and determination. I look forward to the day when you can read these lines. Youre an intellect, a builder, an engineer, and a radical in the making. Your grandpa loves you.

The modern world is at an impasse. Disasters scroll across our smartphone screens and were invited to like, follow or upvote, but critical thinking is harder and harder to find. Rather than connecting us in common struggle and debate, the internet has sped up and deepened a long-standing process of alienation and atomization. Zer0 Books wants to work against this trend. With critical theory as our jumping off point, we aim to publish books that make our readers uncomfortable. We want to move beyond received opinions.

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