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American Rule

How a Nation Conquered the World but Failed Its People

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American Rule

By: Jared Yates Sexton
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
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About this listen

From writer and political analyst Jared Yates Sexton comes an eye-opening journey through American history that unearths and debunks the myths we've always told ourselves.

Recent years have brought a reckoning in America. As rampant political corruption, stark inequality, and violent bigotry have come to the fore, many have faced two vital questions: How did we get here? And how do we move forward?

An honest look at the past - and how it’s been covered up - is the only way to find the answers. Americans in power have abused and subjugated others since the nation’s very beginning, and myths of America’s unique goodness have both enabled that injustice and buried the truth for generations. In American Rule, Jared Yates Sexton blends deep research with stunning storytelling, digging into each era of growth and change that led us here - and laying bare the foundational myths at the heart of the American imagination.

Stirring, unequivocal, and impossible to pause, American Rule tells the truth about what this nation has always been - and challenges us to forge a new path.

©2020 Jared Yates Sexton (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Civics & Citizenship United States American History
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Critic reviews

“Sexton, a professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University, exposes the myth of American exceptionalism in this searing account.... Sexton’s survey of American political history is taut and tart.... An unflinching and well-crafted takedown of the nationalist rhetoric that fueled Trump’s rise.”(Publishers Weekly)

"Sexton continues to serve as a historical myth buster, tackling the belief of America as a fair and just government of the people, and portraying instead a broken system built by and for white elites.... Sexton is effective at drawing parallels between contemporary politics and historic events.... Recommended primarily for those concerned by the tone and direction of American politics and seeking a better understanding of the question on which the book is framed: ‘How did we get here?'" (Library Journal)

“A ‘chronicle of oppression’ that makes a rousing counter to the usual celebratory narratives of the American past.” (Kirkus Reviews)

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9/11 wasn't unexpected

I'm reasonably familiar with recent USA events and history, and their divisive politics.
I know that rich Republicans are lying to their base in order to enrich themselves, not the poor white Americans who vote for them.
I know that Zuckerberg, Putin & Musk are also manipulating ordinary Americans to, let's say it together, enrich themselves at the expense of those who believe conspiracy theories.

What's new to me is that Dubya was repeatedly warned before 9/11 of an imminent attack, and did nothing.

Then to cover his ineptitude he launched the War on Terror, playing right into the hands of Al Qaeda & causing the rise of Isis. Al Qaeda was only 100 members, until Dubya became their recruiting sergeant, wasting thousands of lives & trillions of dollars.

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Great alternative view of America

Well read and easily digestible insight into America’s history. The glory and exceptionalism associated with America is countered in this interesting book.

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A very good listen for a divided time

This audiobook clearly and concisely takes us through the processes that led to the age of the fascist demagogue, now ex-US President Donald Trump.

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The Demise of America.

The road to the death of American objective reality and rise of right wing driven untruth, bigotry, conspiracies and authoritarianism. This is a superb overview of America today, 2020, and how it got here from its day of independence in the 18th century.

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Exceptional

Great listen and very very educational. I hope this author uses this as a platform to interlink with the historical activities of other empires around the world over the same time frame to provide an even broader context and the concurrent human story that has lead us collectively to this tragedy.

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