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Why We're Polarized

Why We're Polarized

by Ezra Klein

Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster ·2020 ·336 pages ·Politics
Near the Top
Near the Top
I Index
65/99
Maybe Someday

46/99

Critics

Top of the Pile

84/99

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Scholars

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About This Book

America is polarized by identity. Over the past fifty years in America, partisan identities have merged with racial, religious, geographic, ideological, and cultural identities, attaining a weight that is breaking much in politics and tearing at the bonds that hold the country together. Political analyst Ezra Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the twentieth century and what that polarization did to the way people see the world and one another. He traces the feedback loops—between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions—driving the system toward crisis. Why We're Polarized reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America's descent into division and dysfunction. Neither a polemic nor a lament, it offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Donald Trump's rise to the Democratic Party's leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture.


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Reviews

"A sharp explanation of how American politics has become so discordant ..."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Klein has done his homework in reviewing the extensive academic literature on the subject and interviewing scores of actors immersed in practical politics ..."

Francis Fukuyama· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Klein describes neatly and concisely what has changed in our electoral politics ..."

Norman J. Ornstein· The New York Times Read review ↗ Near the Top

"He effectively explains the impact of weak parties and strong partisanship, which can lead to demagogues ..."

Stephanie Sendaula· Library Journal Read review ↗ Near the Top

"This precise and persuasive guide helps to make sense of the current state of American politics."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Why We're Polarized does some of the job, but leaves a daunting truth unsaid: To fight polarization, we'll have to get much more polarized."

Osita Nwanevu· The New Republic Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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