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We Need New Stories: The Myths that Subvert Freedom

We Need New Stories: The Myths that Subvert Freedom

by Nesrine Malik

W. W. Norton & Company ·2021 ·224 pages ·Politics
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Critics

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Scholars

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Rating

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Volume

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About This Book

In 2016, candidate Donald Trump declared: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct." Reeling from his victory, Democrats blamed the corrosive effect of "identity politics." In We Need New Stories, Nesrine Malik explains that both of these arguments are political myths—variations on the lie that society needs no reform. Exploring how these and other common political myths function, she explains how they are employed to subvert calls for equality by historically disenfranchised groups. Interweaving reportage with an incendiary analysis of American history and politics, she offers a compelling account of how calls to preserve "free speech" are used against the vulnerable; how a fixation with "wokeness," "political correctness," and "cancel culture" is in fact an organized and well-funded campaign by elites; and how the fear of "identity politics" obscures the biggest threat of all—white terrorism. What emerges is a radical framework for understanding American politics and culture.


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Reviews

"In her measured yet passionate voice, these statements aren't simply observations."

Jason Heller· NPR Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"There are detailed sections about the Me Too movement and the use of male power to subordinate women, along with a history of how myths can consume their believers."

Sarah Schroeder· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"doesn't make for an easy or comfortable read, but her arguments echoed powerfully in my mind long after I had put the book down."

Melissa Benn· Financial Times Read review ↗ Near the Top

"a call to change the focus."

Helen Charman· The Guardian Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Thoughtfully adding personal experiences as a female millennial of African descent to her discourse, Malik presents fierce opinions and cogent observations that deliver a deeply intelligent and powerfully provocative work that calls into question long-held beliefs of both the left and the right."

Carol Haggas· Booklist Read review ↗ Near the Top

"She has an excellent nose for hypocrisy and doublethink, the crude prejudices and bigotry that underlie political decisions ..."

Bidisha· The Guardian Read review ↗ Near the Top

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