Fantasyland, Kurt Andersen
Fantasyland, Kurt Andersen
17 Rating(s)
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Fantasyland
How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History

Author: Kurt Andersen

Narrator: Kurt Andersen

Unabridged: 19 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/05/2017

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed author of Evil Geniuses comes an electrifying, provocative history of American delusion—“an important book for understanding America in the age of Trump” (Walter Isaacson, author of Elon Musk).

“A frighteningly convincing and sometimes uproarious picture of a country in steep, perhaps terminal decline that would have the founding fathers weeping into their beards.”—The Guardian

A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

How did we get here?

In this sweeping, eloquent history of America, Kurt Andersen demonstrates what’s happening in our country today. This strange, post-truth, “fake news” moment we’re all living through is not something entirely new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character and path. America was founded by wishful dreamers, magical thinkers, and true believers, by hucksters and their suckers. Believe-what-ever-you-want fantasy is deeply embedded in our DNA. From the Salem witch trials to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, from P. T. Barnum to Hollywood, from our fetish for guns to our obsession with extraterrestrials, our peculiar love of the fantastic has made America exceptional in a way that we’ve never fully acknowledged.

Written with gleeful erudition and tell-it-like-it-is ferocity, Fantasyland could not appear at a more perfect moment for understanding the politics and culture of twenty-first-century America, and how the lines between reality and illusion have become dangerously blurred.

About The Author

Kurt Andersen is the bestselling author of Evil Geniuses, Fantasyland and the novels True Believers, Heyday andTurn of the Century, among other books. He contributes to The New York Times and was host and co-creator of Studio 360, the Peabody Award–winning public radio show and podcast. He also writes for television, film, and the stage. Andersen co-founded Spy magazine, served as editor in chief of New York, and was a cultural columnist and design critic for Time, New York and The New Yorker. He graduated from Harvard College and lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

Goodreads review by David

Whooo! That was 442 pages of one angry guy venting. The first half has some pretty cool history anecdotes and when he makes value judgments I almost always agree with him at least in the beginning. But the whole thing is like a really long rambling talk with thousands of historical and cultural refe......more

Goodreads review by Always

I think the premise of the book is an interesting one but I'm actually not sure how much I bought into the argument put forth. I'm sure plenty of us who live in the United States question why we differ so much from other countries that are supposedly comparable. I feel like the book did a lot of desc......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie *Eff your feelings*

I was born in the mid sixties, and I don’t recall anyone being overly religious. I don’t remember any of my classmates talking about Jesus, unless it was in reference to baby Jesus and we were doing a school Christmas play. Our founding fathers were almost entirely atheist, hence the separation of c......more

Quotes

“With this rousing book, [Kurt] Andersen proves to be the kind of clear-eyed critic an anxious country needs in the midst of a national crisis.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“A frighteningly convincing and sometimes uproarious picture of a country in steep, perhaps terminal decline that would have the founding fathers weeping into their beards.”—The Guardian
 
“A spirited, often entertaining rant against things as they are.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A provocative new study of America’s cultural history . . . In this absorbing, must-read polemic, Andersen exhaustively chronicles a development eating away at the very foundation of Americanism.”—Newsday
 
“Andersen exhaustively explores with wit and extensive research.”—HuffPost
 
“A staggering amount of research that’s both compelling and totally unnerving.”—The Village Voice

“A stunning, sweeping explanation of how we got to Trump . . . the most important book that I have read this year.”—Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC

“This is a blockbuster of a book. Kurt Andersen is a dazzling writer and a perceptive student of the many layers of American life. Take a deep breath and dive in.”—Tom Brokaw

“This is an important book—the indispensable book—for understanding America in the age of Trump. It’s an eye-opening history filled with brilliant insights, a saga of how we were always susceptible to fantasy, from the Puritan fanatics to the talk-radio and Internet wackos who mix show business, hucksterism, and conspiracy theories. Even the parts you think you know already are put into an eye-opening context.”—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci
 
“Kurt Andersen is America’s voice of reason. What is he—Canadian? The people who should read this book won’t—because it’s a book—but reality-based citizens will still get a kick out of this winning romp through centuries of American delusion.”—Sarah Vowell
 
“Fantasyland presents the very best kind of idea—one that, in retrospect, seems obvious, but that took a seer like Kurt Andersen to piece together. The thinking and the writing are both dazzling; it is at once a history lesson and an oh-so-modern cri de coeur; it’s an absolute joy to read and will leave your brain dancing with excitement long after you’re done.”—Stephen Dubner

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