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The American Crisis: What Went Wrong. How We Recover.
Some of America’s best reporters and thinkers offer an urgent look at a country in chaos in this collection of timely, often prophetic articles from The Atlantic .
The past four years in the United States have been among the most turbulent in our history—and would have been so even without a global pandemic and waves of protest nationwide against police violence. Drawn from the recent work of The Atlantic staff writers and contributors, The American Crisis explores the factors that led us to the present racial division, economic inequality, political dysfunction, the hollowing out of government, the devaluation of truth, and the unique threat posed by Donald Trump. Today’s emergencies expose pathologies years in the making.
Featuring leading voices from The Atlantic , one of the country’s most widely read and influential magazines, The American Crisis is a broad and essential look at the condition of America today—and at the qualities of national character that may yet offer hope.
The past four years in the United States have been among the most turbulent in our history—and would have been so even without a global pandemic and waves of protest nationwide against police violence. Drawn from the recent work of The Atlantic staff writers and contributors, The American Crisis explores the factors that led us to the present racial division, economic inequality, political dysfunction, the hollowing out of government, the devaluation of truth, and the unique threat posed by Donald Trump. Today’s emergencies expose pathologies years in the making.
Featuring leading voices from The Atlantic , one of the country’s most widely read and influential magazines, The American Crisis is a broad and essential look at the condition of America today—and at the qualities of national character that may yet offer hope.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 10, 2020
Thank you for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of "The American Crisis." This book, a collection of essays, from The Atlantic is full of information and often insightful. The essays broke my heart in reliving these moments of his Presidency in much more detail than the press have given us. Each time I read about Donald Trump I am amazed at what I still don't know and question how much worse can it get. In the intro Jeffrey Goldberg tells a story about meeting with Jared Kushner. I won't go into detail because I think it is important to read the intro in its entirety. However, there is a comment made by the son-in-law that "No one can go as low as the President." "You shouldn't even try." We are better than this. All of the essays show there is nothing he hasn't or won't do for himself at the cost of anyone that has the temerity to disagree. There is a comment, by David Frum, stating the greatest threat to American Democracy is "public indifference." After reading this book I don't see how anyone can be indifferent and settle for less going forward.
August 20, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the fantastic contributors of The Atlantic for allowing me to read the ARC of this essay collection. Every American should read this book. I am familiar with The Atlantic although not a consistent reader, but after reading this (in fact before I was 1/3 through), I signed up for a paid subscription to the magazine. And I pre-ordered a hard copy book to pass on to someone. Yes, some of these essays are demoralizing in our current climate, how could they not be? But overall the book left me feeling optimistic, energized, and I’d say patriotic. Highly recommended for everyone as it will give you a greater insight into our current situation.
September 29, 2020
What a fabulous compilation of articles published by the Atlantic. Some are sad, heartbreaking in their telling. Some make you angry and others give you hope. Being this is from and by contributors to the Atlantic all of the articles are well written. This isn't a book you sit down and read cover to cover. Rather it is one to pick up and read a few articles and savor what they have to say. Definitely one to add to your collection.
December 11, 2020
December 5th... Early this morning I finished reading The American Crisis. As I write this review, we are in the midst of a major health care crisis. Election officials throughout our nation are receiving death threats. And students at every level of the educational process have had their lives upended. And where is the President of the United States? He is flying to Georgia to speak at a rally for two Republicans while claiming the election was rigged. He has yet to acknowledge the Biden/Harris victory. Written by the writers of The Atlantic, The American Crisis is both informative and timely. Jeffrey Goldberg, Anne Applebaum and Cullen Murphy are to be commended for this book’s thoughtful organization. The diversity of writers and topics covered makes this book a compelling read. As a new subscriber to The Atlantic, this book was a gift. What a gift!
October 6, 2020
I have regularly browse/read The Atlantic, so, when I saw this as available to read and review, I figured it would provide me a fairly good read about those things I find important. I was correct. Many of these articles were written during the early days of the current administration, and it was interesting to see just how spot on the authors were. The book covers a myriad of articles, taken from The Atlantic over the course of the past few years, and provides excellent background and information about who we are, where we came from to get here, and some good ideas of where we are going. Right now, with the election looming in front of us, I found most of the information interesting, informative, and more than able to help me make my choices this election. The book covers a lot of different areas, from background on evangelicals and even Paul Manafort, to Ivanka Trump and her father, to evangelicals. Of course, many will conclude that many of the articles are a slanted in one direction, but they are opinion pieces, after all. I think most readers who care about our country and where we are going as well as how we got to where we are will find this book interesting. However, keep in mind, that some of the topics/subject are serious and not to be taken lightly. As is the case with the magazine, this book is not really “light” reading, but should be read carefully and slowly, to fully understand and appreciate all the topics, insights and opinions put forth by the authors. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
January 23, 2021
David Klion wrote a perceptive review of this book in The New Republic that I mostly agree with, and I would urge you to read it.
The Atlantic likes to position itself as firmly above the rough-and-tumble world of politics in its pursuit of eminently reasonable discourse. It's not a liberal magazine, but it is interested in promoting "liberal civic ideals." "More than any other publication," Klion writes, "its purpose seems to be the continual renewal of educated Americans’ commitment to high-mindedness." In an age when reflexive centrism carries the whiff of complicity, their work had the risk of feeling hopelessly out-of-step with the "extinction-level event," to borrow Andrew Sullivan's phrase, of the Trump presidency.
But I can't deny there's a powerful cumulative effect to reading all 40 of these pieces in the order editor Cullen Murphy presents them in. Together, they tell a well-rounded story of how we got here and what roadmaps are available to us in the years to come. A few of them, which I read at the time they were published, would be included in my must-read library of Trump-era nonfiction: Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The First White President," Jeremy Raff's "The Undocumented Agent," and Adam Serwer's "The Cruelty Is the Point," primary among them.
The Atlantic likes to position itself as firmly above the rough-and-tumble world of politics in its pursuit of eminently reasonable discourse. It's not a liberal magazine, but it is interested in promoting "liberal civic ideals." "More than any other publication," Klion writes, "its purpose seems to be the continual renewal of educated Americans’ commitment to high-mindedness." In an age when reflexive centrism carries the whiff of complicity, their work had the risk of feeling hopelessly out-of-step with the "extinction-level event," to borrow Andrew Sullivan's phrase, of the Trump presidency.
But I can't deny there's a powerful cumulative effect to reading all 40 of these pieces in the order editor Cullen Murphy presents them in. Together, they tell a well-rounded story of how we got here and what roadmaps are available to us in the years to come. A few of them, which I read at the time they were published, would be included in my must-read library of Trump-era nonfiction: Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The First White President," Jeremy Raff's "The Undocumented Agent," and Adam Serwer's "The Cruelty Is the Point," primary among them.
January 23, 2022
Obviously, this is full of excellent journalism, but I especially enjoyed how it was edited to create a sort of coherent story/thesis.
September 28, 2020
The American Crisis is a compilation of the some of the most thought provoking articles by the Atlantic on the Trump Presidency and its overall affects on the American Republic. Compiled in part, because of the election 2020, and also in part to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the book serves as a time capsule to capture the varying range of emotions, crises, and actions that have come to mark the tumultuous first term of the Trump White House. Indeed, the cross selection of The Atlantic writers whose articles contribute to the book représente a variety of ethnicities, gender, sexuality, social and political statues, as well as age, background and education - proving to serve as a cross selection of commentary for a Presidency that has not ended.
Indeed, the venerated American tradition has always been to hold off judgement and ranking for Presidencies that remain in power - yet the current pandemic and the erosion of the culture and tradition surrounding the executive in American politics have allowed for a close inspection on the White House and the Trump Administration MO - while also showcasing the biases and limitations that the Atlantic (having endorsed Secretary Clinton in the 2016 election for President) showcase in their analysis of the Trump administration - to the extent that leftists, progressives, liberals, moderates and center right partisans can agree that much of the rhetoric and policies associated with this White House represent a party and indeed an America that seems foreign to them - without giving readers a firm vies as to why the psychosis for Trump supporters and enablers are there.
I highly recommend the book, not only because of its timely content, but also as a quasi historical book for us to refer back to after the end of the Trump White House (whether in 2020 or 2024) to compare the changes and the lasting effects of this truly white presidency.
Indeed, the venerated American tradition has always been to hold off judgement and ranking for Presidencies that remain in power - yet the current pandemic and the erosion of the culture and tradition surrounding the executive in American politics have allowed for a close inspection on the White House and the Trump Administration MO - while also showcasing the biases and limitations that the Atlantic (having endorsed Secretary Clinton in the 2016 election for President) showcase in their analysis of the Trump administration - to the extent that leftists, progressives, liberals, moderates and center right partisans can agree that much of the rhetoric and policies associated with this White House represent a party and indeed an America that seems foreign to them - without giving readers a firm vies as to why the psychosis for Trump supporters and enablers are there.
I highly recommend the book, not only because of its timely content, but also as a quasi historical book for us to refer back to after the end of the Trump White House (whether in 2020 or 2024) to compare the changes and the lasting effects of this truly white presidency.
May 30, 2021
Caveat: I did not read each and every essay, but think after all this time, am finished with this book, most especially because it's an e-book, not my favorite way to read.
I admire "The Atlantic" as a source that is unparalleled in its deep dives into current issues, always with perspective. This is a compilation from recent years that meets that criteria.
It has 40 essays over the Trump years running from 2017-2020 has three sections: I.Falling Apart; II. Failure of Politics; III. Age of Trump and IV. Becoming Citizens Again, followed by an Afterword. It runs over 500 pages, and as an e-book over 1000.
In reading this e-book, I kept forgetting about it, but when I'd return, I'd be hit with how clear the analyses are of such ongoing movements on these most recent years. The Q-anon explanations and its relationship to Evangelicals was the clearest explanation that I've read of this strange conspiracy and movement.
Anne Applebaum has been a sobering author on the rise of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes world-wide---a "Warning from Europe", which hearkens back to 2018, one of the older pieces. She has credentials here in that she's worked and lived in Poland due to her spouse's work, and has an insider's view, close at hand, and it expanded my view beyond our own borders. She provides a larger context for the struggles of democracies worldwide, and the attractiveness of authoritarian regimes, which had clarity and expansiveness for this world movement away from Democracies.
The last entry, "Between Bravado and Despair", provides that meeting place for what might help us find some safety and "at easeness" in these challenging times.
I admire "The Atlantic" as a source that is unparalleled in its deep dives into current issues, always with perspective. This is a compilation from recent years that meets that criteria.
It has 40 essays over the Trump years running from 2017-2020 has three sections: I.Falling Apart; II. Failure of Politics; III. Age of Trump and IV. Becoming Citizens Again, followed by an Afterword. It runs over 500 pages, and as an e-book over 1000.
In reading this e-book, I kept forgetting about it, but when I'd return, I'd be hit with how clear the analyses are of such ongoing movements on these most recent years. The Q-anon explanations and its relationship to Evangelicals was the clearest explanation that I've read of this strange conspiracy and movement.
Anne Applebaum has been a sobering author on the rise of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes world-wide---a "Warning from Europe", which hearkens back to 2018, one of the older pieces. She has credentials here in that she's worked and lived in Poland due to her spouse's work, and has an insider's view, close at hand, and it expanded my view beyond our own borders. She provides a larger context for the struggles of democracies worldwide, and the attractiveness of authoritarian regimes, which had clarity and expansiveness for this world movement away from Democracies.
The last entry, "Between Bravado and Despair", provides that meeting place for what might help us find some safety and "at easeness" in these challenging times.
June 26, 2021
From what we can learn from the fall of the Roman Empire ("In the Fall of Rome, Good News for America" by James Fallows) to "The Lessons of the Great Depression" (by Lizabeth Cohen) to "The Prophecies of Q" (by Adrienne LaFrance) there are many, many well-researched, well-argued and tremendously well-written essays gathered in this collection, all taken from the last few years' issues of The Atlantic magazine.
Touching on all the key events of the last few years, these essays provide insight, background, and inspiration, as well as cautionary notes on where we are, how we got here, and how we can learn from the past in order to move forward.
That all sounds like a boring textbook some cliched professor smoking a pipe would assign, but trust me, this book is well worth your time. My husband and I read it from the first page to its last, and were tempted to start it all over again.
You think you've heard it all in the news (even those of us who consider ourselves news junkies) but unless you've read all of these articles in the magazine when they originally appeared, you've not read all there is to know about recent events. Even if you did read some of these articles from a few years ago, you'll see them in new light (some are downright prophetic, and I'm not talking about the essay on QAnon).
Highly recommended to everyone who wants a better understanding of what's really been going on lately.
Touching on all the key events of the last few years, these essays provide insight, background, and inspiration, as well as cautionary notes on where we are, how we got here, and how we can learn from the past in order to move forward.
That all sounds like a boring textbook some cliched professor smoking a pipe would assign, but trust me, this book is well worth your time. My husband and I read it from the first page to its last, and were tempted to start it all over again.
You think you've heard it all in the news (even those of us who consider ourselves news junkies) but unless you've read all of these articles in the magazine when they originally appeared, you've not read all there is to know about recent events. Even if you did read some of these articles from a few years ago, you'll see them in new light (some are downright prophetic, and I'm not talking about the essay on QAnon).
Highly recommended to everyone who wants a better understanding of what's really been going on lately.
April 26, 2023
Interesting but long read. A collection of essays from The Atlantic published all in recent years from different authors with different backgrounds and areas of expertise covering a range of topics that affect modern American life. Climate change, racial injustice, gerrymandering, wealth inequality, healthcare, and more. Some topics were more interesting than others, and some articles were better than others. The writings from the economists tended to be very dry and tedious compared to others.
This book came out in late 2020, and it shows. Many of the essays are rife with the feelings of righteous anger and despair that were so palpable during that time. Being a couple years removed from that time, I could have done with fewer articles that focused on bashing the Republican Party and its politicians. The whole middle section of the book largely focused on disparaging analyses of Donald Trump and those orbiting him; at the time of publication I probably would have eaten it right up wholeheartedly, but now it comes across as a catastrophic list of grievances with relatively few productive solutions discussed. I would have loved more of that; the final section What We Do Next only consisted of a few short essays and didn’t leave me particularly reassured when I finished it. That may have been the point, but I find its generally unproductive to end a discussion of issues without reviewing concrete solutions.
This book came out in late 2020, and it shows. Many of the essays are rife with the feelings of righteous anger and despair that were so palpable during that time. Being a couple years removed from that time, I could have done with fewer articles that focused on bashing the Republican Party and its politicians. The whole middle section of the book largely focused on disparaging analyses of Donald Trump and those orbiting him; at the time of publication I probably would have eaten it right up wholeheartedly, but now it comes across as a catastrophic list of grievances with relatively few productive solutions discussed. I would have loved more of that; the final section What We Do Next only consisted of a few short essays and didn’t leave me particularly reassured when I finished it. That may have been the point, but I find its generally unproductive to end a discussion of issues without reviewing concrete solutions.
November 28, 2020
Anyone concerned about the state of our country ought to read this book. It's a collection of articles from The Atlantic from recent years, quite relevant to our current political situation. The Atlantic has become one of my favorite sources of information, because it's insightful and well researched/factchecked, and just plain interesting. Many different voices, many perspectives. It gives me hope for the future that there are rational, thoughtful people out there, not just raving lunatic conspiracy theorists and hyperpartisan hacks. I'm a subscriber to The Atlantic, but just started in the last year, so tons of these were new to me. And even articles I had previously read were worth re-reading. I don't give out 5 stars very often - it means I recommend this to friends and may well re-read it later.
November 28, 2021
I am careful with five-star ratings...and this reaches that level easily. I am dropping in and out of the essays, depending on author or subject. But so far each one has been exactly what I would have expected from The Atlantic and then some. Applebaum, Mattis, Harari, and Packer among a luminous cohort of writers and thinkers expressing their views on where we are and how we got here. In 2018, Ed Yong wrote of a hypothetical pandemic, while Trump was president, but before Covid hit. He was concerned. Stunning how prescient he was. If you are a concerned citizen and want large ideas expressed in a very adult manner, this book is a must read. Thank you to the Atlantic for combining these excellent pieces.
January 13, 2021
It's taken me awhile to finish this book, but not because it isn't a good read, but because it is so --well, I don't know how to say it, especially in light of all that's happened over the last 4 years. This book should be required reading for everyone!! It is a book of essays from the Atlantic magazine and is divided in 3 parts--How we got here, the Trump years, and how we recover from this. I am sure I will be thinking about what I read here for many months.
After starting this book, I pick up the Atlantic when I go into bookstores. Always a great read!!
After starting this book, I pick up the Atlantic when I go into bookstores. Always a great read!!
April 12, 2022
edited collection of essays published in The Atlantic during the Trump presidency. contributing historians include David Blight, Ibram Kendi, and Clint Smith, and contributing journalists include Anne Applebaum and Megan Garber. I found essays on college admissions, Ivanka Trump, and poverty to be the most engaging, but all are solid. 500 pages- would skip some of the moderate white men. I guess the most useful part (for writers) is to absorb the structure of the essays. this was one of my first Netgalley requests, and the one I fell behind on most severely- better late than never!
November 11, 2020
This is a wonderfully diverse and thought provoking collection of essays drawn from Atlantic magazine during the Trump era. It was difficult to read as the election drew near because it so clearly stated how much is at stake. Then Biden won and it became easier to read. Then I finished it as Trump began trying to undo the election and effectively kill democracy.
2020 has been a terrible year. Here's hoping that we won't have to read stuff like this much longer.
2020 has been a terrible year. Here's hoping that we won't have to read stuff like this much longer.
November 15, 2020
At times infuriating, at times disheartening, but ultimately hopeful, this collection of essays lays bare the structural issues that allowed a Trump presidency to happen and the ghastly violations that occurred during his time in office, but ultimately ends on an uplifting challenge: that American democracy is a beautiful, but fragile, thing that is worth the struggle. It's never easy, but it is a worthwhile pursuit.
January 23, 2021
As a regular reader of long form journalism this book was incredible. Impeccably curated from The Atlantic articles over the last six years this book tackles everything from economics, race, politics, culture etc. The writing of The Atlantic has always been incredibly engaging and informative- this book highlights why the magazine is held in such high regard. The long form articles give nuance and context to issues that demand nuance and complexity.
September 9, 2021
A compilation of essays from 'The Atlantic' that helps show us who we are, how we arrived at a Trump presidency and the polarization that both led to it and has deepened as a result of it, and how we can work to overcome this crisis. This collection is a must read for any patriotic American who wants to save our democracy and find unity.
September 15, 2021
Thick, heavy book! The essay on Ivanka was the best. Author did a good job with someone dedicated to protecting her own image and who most call "poised" because it's hard to see beyond the image. For all of Trump's bombast, Ivanka is the opposite -- hard to read, secretive, not concentred about much beyond projecting and protecting an image.
September 25, 2021
An engrossing collection that runs from a prophetic 2018 essay about how a pandemic might be mishandled by a Trump Administration, to glimmers of hope pointing to how the US can regroup and recover, via the climate crisis, systemic racism in America, and the baffling enigma that is Ivanka Trump. Smart, insightful, and cohesive.
April 19, 2022
This book is amazing: 3/4 depressing and 1/4 uplifting. If you can hang on through all of it, it's a splendid inventory of what's gone wrong in America in the last few years. It's also uplifting to read, not just because if offers possibilities for how the country can recover from Trump, but also because it makes it clear that we might not have survived another term of Trump.
February 16, 2024
Sometimes The Atlantic writers can be a bit alarmist. However they are more right than wrong. The crisis will get much worse as the right wing stamps out diversity in ideas, race, religion, speech, etc. Then indoctrinate our youth by bringing that to classrooms and libraries. I will not live to see it finalized which is good for me.
August 31, 2021
This is an important collection of essays for any teacher or student who would like a snapshot of what Americans went through between 2016 and 2020. It is an indictment of the former president’s cruelty and corruption, and an excellent account of how fragile American Democracy has become.
June 5, 2022
The Clint Smith piece was particularly beautifully written but most of the essays were very well written. This will be helpful for historians later on to understand what we were thinking at the time. Not a pretty view of the world we live in.
November 29, 2020
Excellent choice of articles by an impressive array of authors. All were written between 2016 and spring 2o2o, i.e., before the November Presidential election.
November 8, 2020
This book left me enlightened, frustrated, and depressed. I would like to say that it allowed me to see a way forward for a United States of America, but it didn't. With the benefit of hindsight, writing this review a day after Biden has been declared winner of the 2020 presidential election to become the 46th president, I can see the division of the country in the close race to the 270 votes in the electoral college. Most of the rest of the world looks at the US in flabbergasted disbelief, wondering how Donald Trump has gotten more votes (70+ million) than any past president in US history. The main reason behind this is in my opinion the American two-party system which in recent years has shown its severe limitations, as bipartisanship in Congress is virtually non-existant. Two-party systems has been replaced by multi-party systems in most other Western democracies.
The book deals much with the absence of bipartisanship in the US but offers few viable solutions to the problem and focuses very little on alternatives to the US two-party system. Maybe because the two parties are such strong factors that additional parties are doomed from the outset.
The book's different essays/chapters are written by brilliant writers and they offer many important insights into the power struggle that is taking the US hostage through division and strife and will continue to do so in the year to come. The weakest chapters are the last ones in the book about what has been done to overcome crisis in the US in the past; applying New Deal solutions from the 1930s is simply not a viable solution almost 90 years later. I struggled to get through those parts of the book which ends up costing the fifth star in my rating of this important book.
[An ARC of the book was generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
The book deals much with the absence of bipartisanship in the US but offers few viable solutions to the problem and focuses very little on alternatives to the US two-party system. Maybe because the two parties are such strong factors that additional parties are doomed from the outset.
The book's different essays/chapters are written by brilliant writers and they offer many important insights into the power struggle that is taking the US hostage through division and strife and will continue to do so in the year to come. The weakest chapters are the last ones in the book about what has been done to overcome crisis in the US in the past; applying New Deal solutions from the 1930s is simply not a viable solution almost 90 years later. I struggled to get through those parts of the book which ends up costing the fifth star in my rating of this important book.
[An ARC of the book was generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
November 2, 2020
A strong compilation of Atlantic essays/articles from 2016-2020. Like most collections, it's a bit uneven, and this book is much more focused on the "What Went Wrong" than the "How We Recover" material, but there are some very excellent pieces throughout.
Full review at Englewood Review of Books: https://englewoodreview.org/the-ameri...
Full review at Englewood Review of Books: https://englewoodreview.org/the-ameri...
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews