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Sore Winners: (And the Rest of Us) in George Bush's America
The dollars are green. The terror level is orange. And everybody's seeing red. Welcome to Bush World.
Rich, scary, and insanely polarized, America is living through one of the wildest eras in its history. In this delicious hybrid of pop mythology and political commentary, John Powers offers an irreverent guided tour of what he dubs "Bush World"—with its terror attacks and obsession with Martha Stewart, its preemptive wars and celebrations of shopping. Sore Winners takes a fresh new look at the multiple personas of the Real Slim Shady, George W. Bush, the gloating Social Darwinism of shows like Survivor and The Apprentice, and the right-wing triumph of Fox News and the ranting "Id Conservatives." Whether pondering our two greatest white rappers, Eminem and Donald Rumsfeld, or the amazing rise of Gubna Schwarzenegger, the book paints a freewheeling portrait of a society in which racial politics are symbolized by the "Colin and Condi Show," gay-marriage opponents battle with Queer Eye's Fab Five, and religious fundamentalism is everywhere—from Mel Gibson's Passion to America's bogeyman, Osama bin Laden. As he charts the sometimes comic tale of the left's attempts to escape from Bush World—Michael Moore and Paul Krugman leading the charge—Powers explores the need for liberals to reclaim virtue from sanctimonious conservatives and take back the political agenda.
Witty and wide-ranging rather than narrowly political, Sore Winners is one of the smartest, most enjoyable books on American culture in years.
Rich, scary, and insanely polarized, America is living through one of the wildest eras in its history. In this delicious hybrid of pop mythology and political commentary, John Powers offers an irreverent guided tour of what he dubs "Bush World"—with its terror attacks and obsession with Martha Stewart, its preemptive wars and celebrations of shopping. Sore Winners takes a fresh new look at the multiple personas of the Real Slim Shady, George W. Bush, the gloating Social Darwinism of shows like Survivor and The Apprentice, and the right-wing triumph of Fox News and the ranting "Id Conservatives." Whether pondering our two greatest white rappers, Eminem and Donald Rumsfeld, or the amazing rise of Gubna Schwarzenegger, the book paints a freewheeling portrait of a society in which racial politics are symbolized by the "Colin and Condi Show," gay-marriage opponents battle with Queer Eye's Fab Five, and religious fundamentalism is everywhere—from Mel Gibson's Passion to America's bogeyman, Osama bin Laden. As he charts the sometimes comic tale of the left's attempts to escape from Bush World—Michael Moore and Paul Krugman leading the charge—Powers explores the need for liberals to reclaim virtue from sanctimonious conservatives and take back the political agenda.
Witty and wide-ranging rather than narrowly political, Sore Winners is one of the smartest, most enjoyable books on American culture in years.
- GenresPolitics
384 pages, Hardcover
First published July 27, 2004
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13 people want to read
About the author
John Powers
3 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Powers is the pop culture and critic-at-large on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He previously served for six years as the film critic, and was formerly a professor at Georgetown University.
Powers covers film and politics for Vogue and Vogue.com. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Harper's BAZAAR, The Nation, Gourmet, The Washington Post, The New York Times and L.A. Weekly, where he spent twelve years as a critic, columnist, and editor.
He lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Sandi Tan.
John Powers is the pop culture and critic-at-large on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He previously served for six years as the film critic, and was formerly a professor at Georgetown University.
Powers covers film and politics for Vogue and Vogue.com. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Harper's BAZAAR, The Nation, Gourmet, The Washington Post, The New York Times and L.A. Weekly, where he spent twelve years as a critic, columnist, and editor.
He lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Sandi Tan.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 13, 2008
This was a good book. Another book about the failed presidency of Gerorge Bush (seriously, how must it feel to have so many books writted about you!?). I felt like it was more fact based and balanced than the Michael Moore books, which I think gave it alot more credibility. The book discussed the tie in of his presidency to pop culture and I thought it was an interesting spin. It was a little rough to get through at parts though.
May 21, 2008
Occasionally engaging but never all that memorable collection of essays from the Bush era.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews