Backed by solid research, this book sounds a powerful warning that should resonate throughout the Democratic leadership.
Two respected political analysts look at the shifting landscape and find much to worry the Democratic Party.
At first glance, this would seem to be an odd time for this book. The theme is that the Democrats are in trouble, which is strange to think about when the party holds the White House, the Senate, and two dozen governorships. However, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Judis and Talking Points Memo editor at large Teixeira focus on the broader trends underlying political changes. They acknowledge that their allegiance lies with the Democrats, and they are displeased with what they see as the party’s radical turn to the left. In an influential 2002 book, The Emerging Democratic Majority, the authors argued that Democratic-leaning ethnic minorities would grow while the Republican base would shrink, but they emphasized that the Democrats would have to actively court votes from the Latino and Asian American populations, while striving to keep white, blue-collar voters. This critical point was often ignored, and the past decade has seen large chunks of these groups switch to the Republicans. Teixeira and Judis examine the Democratic “shadow party” of foundations, lobby groups, quasi-socialist academics and Wall Street donors, which loudly pushes an agenda of identity politics and free trade that is out of alignment with mainstream values. Attacking anyone who disagrees as a deplorable racist does not help to win support. Joe Biden has tried to distance himself from the extreme end of the spectrum, but the rot runs deep. The strongest card for the Democrats seems to be the unpopularity of Trump, but that will not be enough to overcome the long-term impact of the trends the authors analyze. The obvious solution is for the party to move back toward the center, but the authors do not sound optimistic about it.
Backed by solid research, this book sounds a powerful warning that should resonate throughout the Democratic leadership.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781250877499
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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