What do you think?
Rate this book
The Year That Broke America: An Immigration Crisis, a Terrorist Conspiracy, the Summer of Survivor, a Ridiculous Fake Billionaire, a Fight for Florida, and the 537 Votes That Changed Everything
Combining the compelling insight of Nixonland and the narrative verve of Ladies and Gentleman: The Bronx is Burning, a journalist's definitive cultural and political history of the fatefully important moment when American politics and culture turned: the year 2000.
Before there was Coronavirus, before there was the contentious 2020 election or the entire Trump presidency, there was a turning-point year that proved momentous and transformative for American politics and the fate of the nation. That year was 2000, the last year of America's unchallenged geopolitical dominance, the year Mark Burnett created Survivor and a new form of celebrity, the year a little Cuban immigrant became the focus of a media circus, the year Donald Trump flirted with running for President (and failed miserably), the year a group of Al Qaeda operatives traveled to America to learn to fly planes. They all converged in Florida, where that fall, the most important presidential election in generations was decided by the slimmest margin imaginable.
But the year 2000 was also the moment when the authority of the political system was undermined by technical malfunctions; when the legal system was compromised by the justices of the Supreme Court; when the financial system was devalued by deregulation, speculation, creative securitization, and scam artistry; when the mainstream news media was destabilized by the propaganda power of Fox News and the supercharged speed of the internet; when the power of tastemakers, gatekeepers, and cultural elites was diminished by a dawning recognition of its irrelevance.
Expertly synthesizing many hours of interviews, court records, FOIA requests, and original archival research, Andrew Rice marshals an impressive cast of dupes, schmucks, superstars, politicians, and shameless scoundrels in telling the fascinating story of this portentous year that marked a cultural watershed. Back at the start of the new millennium it was easy to laugh and roll our eyes about the crazy events in Florida in the year 2000--but what happened then and there has determined where we are and who we've become.
Before there was Coronavirus, before there was the contentious 2020 election or the entire Trump presidency, there was a turning-point year that proved momentous and transformative for American politics and the fate of the nation. That year was 2000, the last year of America's unchallenged geopolitical dominance, the year Mark Burnett created Survivor and a new form of celebrity, the year a little Cuban immigrant became the focus of a media circus, the year Donald Trump flirted with running for President (and failed miserably), the year a group of Al Qaeda operatives traveled to America to learn to fly planes. They all converged in Florida, where that fall, the most important presidential election in generations was decided by the slimmest margin imaginable.
But the year 2000 was also the moment when the authority of the political system was undermined by technical malfunctions; when the legal system was compromised by the justices of the Supreme Court; when the financial system was devalued by deregulation, speculation, creative securitization, and scam artistry; when the mainstream news media was destabilized by the propaganda power of Fox News and the supercharged speed of the internet; when the power of tastemakers, gatekeepers, and cultural elites was diminished by a dawning recognition of its irrelevance.
Expertly synthesizing many hours of interviews, court records, FOIA requests, and original archival research, Andrew Rice marshals an impressive cast of dupes, schmucks, superstars, politicians, and shameless scoundrels in telling the fascinating story of this portentous year that marked a cultural watershed. Back at the start of the new millennium it was easy to laugh and roll our eyes about the crazy events in Florida in the year 2000--but what happened then and there has determined where we are and who we've become.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2022
40 people are currently reading
1727 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 21, 2021
The Year That Broke America is a welcome addition to a frankly overcrowded pantheon of books written about our current American culture because this is blessedly not about the period of 2016-2020.
The year 2000 was its own special dumpster fire, however. I turned 11 that year and remember many of these major events and players from the nightly news, but of course didn’t understand too much until I got older. The pacing really elevated the vast spread of material; Rice jumps in and out of many subjects but manages to make a lengthy read actually go by pretty quickly.
I especially liked reading about Janet Reno, because I only associated her with Will Ferrell’s impression of her on SNL (which hilariously gets a mention in this book.) It was also interesting learning more about various people and the nonsense they were up to--or would be up to. Bit foreboding seeing so many burgeoning politicians and celebrities who would make news much later on.
It is truly cringe-inducing and terrifying thinking about all the problems we have now and how their repercussions will affect our country in twenty years’ time.
Thanks, NetGalley!
The year 2000 was its own special dumpster fire, however. I turned 11 that year and remember many of these major events and players from the nightly news, but of course didn’t understand too much until I got older. The pacing really elevated the vast spread of material; Rice jumps in and out of many subjects but manages to make a lengthy read actually go by pretty quickly.
I especially liked reading about Janet Reno, because I only associated her with Will Ferrell’s impression of her on SNL (which hilariously gets a mention in this book.) It was also interesting learning more about various people and the nonsense they were up to--or would be up to. Bit foreboding seeing so many burgeoning politicians and celebrities who would make news much later on.
It is truly cringe-inducing and terrifying thinking about all the problems we have now and how their repercussions will affect our country in twenty years’ time.
Thanks, NetGalley!
December 22, 2022
With "90s nostalgia" currently all the rage in pop culture, Andrew Rice capitalizes on that trend in a unique way with "The Year That Broke America": he goes slightly beyond the 90s--the year 2000--to make the case that American political society fundamentally changed after a number of that year's events.
Rice starts with the Millennium New Years celebrations of 1999 and chronicles how much excitement there was for "the future". But by the time that mythical 2000 came to a close, a much more polarized and cynical culture had already emerged in large part because of these events brewing over the course of that year:
-The international custody saga of Elian Gonzalez and its handling by Janet Reno (it is fascinating to read how political stances on immigration have changed since that time).
-A group of jihadist extremists learning to fly planes in Florida.
-The ridiculousness of Donald Trump throwing his hat into a Presidential race--largely scoffed or laughed at by both political parties at the time. Yet, the ideals of Pat Buchanan and the short-lived (if influential) "Reform Party" would clearly set the stage for Trump's later resurgence some 16 years later.
-The Bush/Gore election fiasco which quite literally created the "Red State, Blue State" mentality that has become germane to modern politics.
Though I wouldn't necessarily call "Broke" a perfect book--there is a thread about illegal arms dealers and the FBI that seems out of place and goes absolutely nowhere--Rice is so engaging that one almost can't help binge-reading this tome (even at 400+ pages!). He drops some fun pop culture tidbits--like references to a little show called Survivor that debuted the summer of '00--but also clearly has a strong handle on the material. In short, a perfect mix of "fun" and "info" in a non-fiction offering.
I can easily give this book the full 5/5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who lived through 2000 and/or even has a tertiary interest in that period. The parallels to how that single year reflect upon the current socio-political landscape are as interesting as they are sometimes unsettling.
Rice starts with the Millennium New Years celebrations of 1999 and chronicles how much excitement there was for "the future". But by the time that mythical 2000 came to a close, a much more polarized and cynical culture had already emerged in large part because of these events brewing over the course of that year:
-The international custody saga of Elian Gonzalez and its handling by Janet Reno (it is fascinating to read how political stances on immigration have changed since that time).
-A group of jihadist extremists learning to fly planes in Florida.
-The ridiculousness of Donald Trump throwing his hat into a Presidential race--largely scoffed or laughed at by both political parties at the time. Yet, the ideals of Pat Buchanan and the short-lived (if influential) "Reform Party" would clearly set the stage for Trump's later resurgence some 16 years later.
-The Bush/Gore election fiasco which quite literally created the "Red State, Blue State" mentality that has become germane to modern politics.
Though I wouldn't necessarily call "Broke" a perfect book--there is a thread about illegal arms dealers and the FBI that seems out of place and goes absolutely nowhere--Rice is so engaging that one almost can't help binge-reading this tome (even at 400+ pages!). He drops some fun pop culture tidbits--like references to a little show called Survivor that debuted the summer of '00--but also clearly has a strong handle on the material. In short, a perfect mix of "fun" and "info" in a non-fiction offering.
I can easily give this book the full 5/5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who lived through 2000 and/or even has a tertiary interest in that period. The parallels to how that single year reflect upon the current socio-political landscape are as interesting as they are sometimes unsettling.
February 6, 2023
Great storytelling over all, and the engaging parts (the 2000 presidential election, terrorist plot, Elian Gonzalez controversy) were very well done. However, the boring or less exciting parts (Kevin Ingrahm, arms deal, Trump's rise), though somewhat important, were just rough to get through.
The end has a great message about the legitimacy of politics since Bush v Gore, so it's worth sticking to it, but don't feel bad about skimming if you get bored
The end has a great message about the legitimacy of politics since Bush v Gore, so it's worth sticking to it, but don't feel bad about skimming if you get bored
May 12, 2024
Really interesting look back on the 2000 election and 9/11, but it dims have been 20% shorter if all the stuff about Kevin Ingraham was removed. I'm still not entirely sure why that's relevant to anything else in the book.
September 15, 2023
The year that broke America? If you guessed 2016, you’re wrong. It’s 2000, according to author Andrew Rice. An easier question to answer is where did America break. Florida, of course.
What’s going on in Florida in 2000?
— There’s the hanging chad presidential election.
— There’s the international custody dispute over Elian Gonzales, the five year old boy who was the only survivor on a boat leaving Cuba for Miami.
— The terrorists who would fly passenger airplanes into the World Trade Center were training there.
— A government sting operation was offering arms sales to shady Pakistani operatives.
— Right wing conspiracy theorist Chuck Harder was on national radio stirring up anger and resentment.
— Governor Jeb Bush sought an end to affirmative action by executive order.
The cast of characters in Rice’s news/history includes George W. Bush, Al Gore, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, Dick Cheney, Janet Reno, Roger Stone and Donald Trump. It is uncanny how it seems everything that has plagued this country in the 21st century really got going in 2000.
2000 is the year when Donald Trump first got interested in running for President. He briefly posed himself as a prospective candidate for the Reform Party. He lost out to Pat Buchanan. Buchanan ran on an “America First” platform that included shredding trade agreements, abandoning allies, deporting ‘illegals’ and building a wall.
I always enjoy a good Trump story and Rice offers this one. After he bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985, Trump ditched all the books in the library and turned it into a bar. He then graced the walls with an oil painting of himself which he titled ‘The Visionary.”
Rice has a journalist background and was a cub reporter with the New York Observer in 2000. His writing reflects that background, full of facts and clearly laid out. This is a fast-paced read.
Eventually it is the Bush-Gore election that takes center stage. Did the outcome of the election set America on decline? I’m not convinced of that. But its impact was on the efficacy of democracy in America. There was voter suppression, threats of creating competing sets of electors and a decision ultimately made by partisan judges. This is an election in which one out of every seven votes cast by Black Floridians was thrown out. Reflecting on what has happened since, Rice suggests, “It seemed the system might never produce another president whose legitimacy was accepted by all Americans.”
What’s going on in Florida in 2000?
— There’s the hanging chad presidential election.
— There’s the international custody dispute over Elian Gonzales, the five year old boy who was the only survivor on a boat leaving Cuba for Miami.
— The terrorists who would fly passenger airplanes into the World Trade Center were training there.
— A government sting operation was offering arms sales to shady Pakistani operatives.
— Right wing conspiracy theorist Chuck Harder was on national radio stirring up anger and resentment.
— Governor Jeb Bush sought an end to affirmative action by executive order.
The cast of characters in Rice’s news/history includes George W. Bush, Al Gore, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, Dick Cheney, Janet Reno, Roger Stone and Donald Trump. It is uncanny how it seems everything that has plagued this country in the 21st century really got going in 2000.
2000 is the year when Donald Trump first got interested in running for President. He briefly posed himself as a prospective candidate for the Reform Party. He lost out to Pat Buchanan. Buchanan ran on an “America First” platform that included shredding trade agreements, abandoning allies, deporting ‘illegals’ and building a wall.
I always enjoy a good Trump story and Rice offers this one. After he bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985, Trump ditched all the books in the library and turned it into a bar. He then graced the walls with an oil painting of himself which he titled ‘The Visionary.”
Rice has a journalist background and was a cub reporter with the New York Observer in 2000. His writing reflects that background, full of facts and clearly laid out. This is a fast-paced read.
Eventually it is the Bush-Gore election that takes center stage. Did the outcome of the election set America on decline? I’m not convinced of that. But its impact was on the efficacy of democracy in America. There was voter suppression, threats of creating competing sets of electors and a decision ultimately made by partisan judges. This is an election in which one out of every seven votes cast by Black Floridians was thrown out. Reflecting on what has happened since, Rice suggests, “It seemed the system might never produce another president whose legitimacy was accepted by all Americans.”
March 23, 2022
Author Andrew Rice takes a look at 2000 as the year that broke America focusing on Y2K, the Elian Gonzalez saga in Miami, the 2000 presidential election and the surrounding vote counting controversy, Attorney General Janet Reno, the last days of the Clinton Administration, Jesse Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, the saga of the Reform Party featuring Pat Buchanan, Jesse Ventura, and Donald Trump, and weaves in the tales of a Wall Street swindler, a right-wing pundit, and the 9-11 hijackers.
This book is probably best read after reading Chuck Klosterman's "The Nineties". At points Rice early in the book Rice presents a few minor things as fact that are opinion and for some reason felt the need to take a few slick shots at Jesse Jackson. I also don't think dedicating time to an obscure troll and Kevin Ingram added a lot to this book. The book was best in the state of Florida discussing the disputed recount, Janet Reno, and the saga of Elian Gonzalez.
A readable book. Perhaps a 3.5. Nothing too deep, but not a bad popular history of the year. I'm not sure if 2000 broke America; but there's no doubt it landed some powerful blows.
This book is probably best read after reading Chuck Klosterman's "The Nineties". At points Rice early in the book Rice presents a few minor things as fact that are opinion and for some reason felt the need to take a few slick shots at Jesse Jackson. I also don't think dedicating time to an obscure troll and Kevin Ingram added a lot to this book. The book was best in the state of Florida discussing the disputed recount, Janet Reno, and the saga of Elian Gonzalez.
A readable book. Perhaps a 3.5. Nothing too deep, but not a bad popular history of the year. I'm not sure if 2000 broke America; but there's no doubt it landed some powerful blows.
December 17, 2023
The USA’s current political division and cultural decline can easily and lazily be attributed to the latent effects of Trumpism. Andrew Rice, in his book, ‘The Year That Broke America’, however, traces the current situation back to a series of political and cultural developments occurring in and around the year 2000. The Gore vs Bush tied election, the Elian Gonzales Immigration debacle, the initial political rise of Trump, the American-based training of the 9/11 terrorists, and dubious arms sales, are some foundational contributors to our current concerns, more than twenty years later. Although there is validity in the hypothesis of the author, through his writing style, some of these topics are more compelling, relevant, and convincing than others. Overall, however, it is always interesting to consider significant (‘sliding door’) turning points which have contributed to the current questionable circumstances with which we are faced.
February 8, 2024
Few events had such an outsized effect on modern history as the 2000 presidential election. It's something I think most Americans know intuitively, but when you read about everything that went down that year -- and you read familiar names like Roger Stone, Donald Trump, John Roberts, and Jeb Bush -- it becomes easy to draw the line between Al Gore and George W. Bush's (admittedly tame, by modern standards) electoral duel and what precipitated during the 2020 election.
Andrew Rice writes this as an in-depth history of the 2000 election and everything that influenced the eventual outcome, but his authorial voice leverages a sense of humor that helps make the more difficult aspects of this history go down a little smoother.
Andrew Rice writes this as an in-depth history of the 2000 election and everything that influenced the eventual outcome, but his authorial voice leverages a sense of humor that helps make the more difficult aspects of this history go down a little smoother.
August 26, 2022
An interesting mix of stories about a special moment in time during American history before everything changed, mostly for the worse.
Some of the stories weren't so great. Particularly the one about the stock trader that involved in arms smuggling. I found his life story and overall conclusion rather boring and inconsequential to the rest of the book. The author's conclusion on how the 2000 election changed politics in the US forever was quite enlightning though.
If you're curious about this particular moment in time this might be for you but keep in mind that the book drags in parts.
2/5
Some of the stories weren't so great. Particularly the one about the stock trader that involved in arms smuggling. I found his life story and overall conclusion rather boring and inconsequential to the rest of the book. The author's conclusion on how the 2000 election changed politics in the US forever was quite enlightning though.
If you're curious about this particular moment in time this might be for you but keep in mind that the book drags in parts.
2/5
March 22, 2022
Reflections and memories from 22 years ago. Y2K and the millennial Phish concert in Florida, Elian Gonzalez, Janet Reno, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, the Clintons and Al Gore, Donald Trump, Jesse Jackson, David Boies, Ted Olson, Pat Buchanan, the 2000 presidential election and hanging chads, the Supreme Court, flight training schools in Florida, the 9/11 hijackers and 9/11, money laundering for arms dealers. Florida!
May 16, 2022
Really good book. This is written without much bias although he does treat most of the politicians like they truly are, assholes. This is the second book in a row I've read about a single year. The other one was April 1945, but its actually about the entire year. Really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Kinda cool that my little brother was born on the Bush/Gore election.
August 10, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Having been born in 1994 I sorta remember 2000 but not to any sort of detail, especially about things going on outside my life. It was really enjoyable to comb through that crucial year so specifically. It really surprised me how many things from 2000 connected so closely to what is going on now. Good book, definitely recommend
January 18, 2023
Immensely readable account of the year 2000 - starting with Y2K and ending with Bush v. Gore. Includes, yes, Donald Trump flirting with running for president on the Reform ticket, Wall Street shenanigans, Elian Gonzalez drama in Florida, the first year of the show Survivor, and sprinkled throughout the terrorist plot that would be 9/11 and their flight training in Florida.
May 12, 2023
An astounding book that I needed to force myself to put down at times.
As a long-time Florida resident who was only eight year old when the events of the book took place, it was astounding to me just how much these earth-shattering events took place effectively just down the road from me.
As a long-time Florida resident who was only eight year old when the events of the book took place, it was astounding to me just how much these earth-shattering events took place effectively just down the road from me.
August 11, 2023
A collective memoir of the events of a single year, 2001, that changed our American experience on many levels. Written using contemporary resources, the author presents intimate details of the people and events that changed our national character.
July 10, 2024
Great book! Really shows that the crap we’re dealing with today is because seeds were sown nearly 25 years ago. Well worth a read to better understand the present, and also for history lovers. I listened to the audio version and it was wonderful.
December 26, 2024
Thank you to Harper Publishing for this ARC. This is an incredibly dense look at major turning points in history. This reader felt bogged down by details until they were tied together. The people behind the scenes then reappear front center a decade later prominently. Something to watch for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2025
I was too young to comprehend what was happening at the time, but it certainly would’ve felt like the end of the world. Does every generation feel like this or has it been unique to the past 20 years?
Couldn’t put this down.
Couldn’t put this down.
April 25, 2022
Not sure how Survivor and a financial scam "broke" America. 9/11 and Florida vote I understand.
August 16, 2022
Enjoyed and well reported. Just seems a bit of an overreach on the title.
September 13, 2022
Yeah. Still broken.
October 25, 2022
Sort of a modern history of America.
November 22, 2022
2022 PopSugar Reading Challenge—A book you know nothing about
April 11, 2023
Insightful and humorous with a dash of despair.
January 7, 2024
Woooooooof. Fucking Florida, man.
March 3, 2024
4 1/2 stars
July 2, 2024
3.5 rounded up for the election coverage! Still not too sure I completely agree with the author’s hypothesis and Ingram’s parts were 100% unnecessary
December 8, 2024
As a person always interested in this particular time period, this book gives amazing insight into what happened leading up to 9/11 and the Bush v Gore election.
April 11, 2022
I liked it. It's far enough away to look back on without wincing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews