Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBryant has an encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs and popular culture ... The result is riveting, often revelatory, crammed with facts … The great strength of Bryant’s book is his ability to make large structural changes vivid through outsized personalities and his own personal experiences … Readable, powerful and instructive. * Washington Post *
A masterclass from an outstanding chronicler of modern America ... Insightful, thoughtful, and beautifully written. -- Orla Guerin
Nick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you’ve been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid. -- Emily Maitlis
An absolutely belting achievement ... An elegy for a lost nation and a lost cause. -- Justin Webb
There are all too many people who can opine about the United States but there are very few with Nick Bryant’s depth of knowledge, experience and empathy for the country and his ability to communicate intelligently, engagingly and entertainingly. -- Nick Robinson
Bryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America. * Washington Post *
A scathing indictment of the polarization and degradation that has transformed the US … [A]n adroit political critique. * Kirkus Reviews *
Few outsiders explain America better than Nick Bryant or write about it as well. This is a must-read guide to an extraordinary time. -- Katty Kay
[Bryant] has a deeper understanding than many of the ebb and flow of history ... [His] breezy prose displays a keen eye for good quotations and telling anecdotes. * TLS *
Listeners who want a perspective that’s both outside and inside and crucially, that comes from a place of love for the US, should look out for
When America Stopped Being Great. * The New Statesman *
Terrific. Very much recommended. * The Monocle Daily *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Face to Face with ‘The Donald’ 1 It’s Morning Again in America 2 Goodbye to the Greatest Generation 3 Bill and Newt 4 The Three Convulsions 5 No You Can’t 6 The Donald Trump Show 7 American Carnage 8 The Descent into January 6th
Conclusion: Present at the Destruction Afterword: Code Red for American Democracy Acknowledgements Notes Index