Wildland: The Making of America's Fury
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- Create Date：2021-09-08 01:19:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Evan Osnos
- ISBN：0374286671
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Summary
After a decade abroad， the National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Evan Osnos returns to three places he has lived in the United States--Greenwich， CT; Clarksburg， WV; and Chicago， IL--to illuminate the origins of America's political fury。
Evan Osnos moved to Washington， D。C。， in 2013 after a decade away from the United States， first reporting from the Middle East before becoming the Beijing bureau chief at the Chicago Tribune and then the China correspondent for The New Yorker。 While abroad， he often found himself making a case for America， urging the citizens of Egypt， Iraq， or China to trust that even though America had made grave mistakes throughout its history， it aspired to some foundational moral commitments: the rule of law， the power of truth， the right of equal opportunity for all。 But when he returned to the United States， he found each of these principles under assault。
In search of an explanation for the crisis that reached an unsettling crescendo in 2020--a year of pandemic， civil unrest， and political turmoil--he focused on three places he knew firsthand: Greenwich， Connecticut; Clarksburg， West Virginia; and Chicago， Illinois。 Reported over the course of six years， Wildland follows ordinary individuals as they navigate the varied landscapes of twenty-first-century America。 Through their powerful， often poignant stories， Osnos traces the sources of America's political dissolution。 He finds answers in the rightward shift of the financial elite in Greenwich， in the collapse of social infrastructure and possibility in Clarksburg， and in the compounded effects of segregation and violence in Chicago。 The truth about the state of the nation may be found not in the slogans of political leaders but in the intricate details of individual lives， and in the hidden connections between them。 As Wildland weaves in and out of these personal stories， events in Washington occasionally intrude， like flames licking up on the horizon。
A dramatic， prescient examination of seismic changes in American politics and culture， Wildland is the story of a crucible， a period bounded by two shocks to America's psyche， two assaults on the country's sense of itself: the attacks of September 11 in 2001 and the storming of the U。S。 Capitol on January 6， 2021。 Following the lives of everyday Americans in three cities and across two decades， Osnos illuminates the country in a startling light， revealing how we lost the moral confidence to see ourselves as larger than the sum of our parts。
Evan Osnos moved to Washington， D。C。， in 2013 after a decade away from the United States， first reporting from the Middle East before becoming the Beijing bureau chief at the Chicago Tribune and then the China correspondent for The New Yorker。 While abroad， he often found himself making a case for America， urging the citizens of Egypt， Iraq， or China to trust that even though America had made grave mistakes throughout its history， it aspired to some foundational moral commitments: the rule of law， the power of truth， the right of equal opportunity for all。 But when he returned to the United States， he found each of these principles under assault。
In search of an explanation for the crisis that reached an unsettling crescendo in 2020--a year of pandemic， civil unrest， and political turmoil--he focused on three places he knew firsthand: Greenwich， Connecticut; Clarksburg， West Virginia; and Chicago， Illinois。 Reported over the course of six years， Wildland follows ordinary individuals as they navigate the varied landscapes of twenty-first-century America。 Through their powerful， often poignant stories， Osnos traces the sources of America's political dissolution。 He finds answers in the rightward shift of the financial elite in Greenwich， in the collapse of social infrastructure and possibility in Clarksburg， and in the compounded effects of segregation and violence in Chicago。 The truth about the state of the nation may be found not in the slogans of political leaders but in the intricate details of individual lives， and in the hidden connections between them。 As Wildland weaves in and out of these personal stories， events in Washington occasionally intrude， like flames licking up on the horizon。
A dramatic， prescient examination of seismic changes in American politics and culture， Wildland is the story of a crucible， a period bounded by two shocks to America's psyche， two assaults on the country's sense of itself: the attacks of September 11 in 2001 and the storming of the U。S。 Capitol on January 6， 2021。 Following the lives of everyday Americans in three cities and across two decades， Osnos illuminates the country in a startling light， revealing how we lost the moral confidence to see ourselves as larger than the sum of our parts。
Reviews
Book
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The differences in people and how they live - in Chicago， Clarksburg， and Greenwich – as reported by Evan Osnos， provokes both thought and concern about the values and beliefs held by Americans today。 It is a difficult book to read， especially if lack of exposure to and interaction with a variety of people keeps one relatively isolated。 And， yet， the stories are essential to understanding the extent and cost of how these diverse perspectives impact life in the US today。 Wildland is not a quick r The differences in people and how they live - in Chicago， Clarksburg， and Greenwich – as reported by Evan Osnos， provokes both thought and concern about the values and beliefs held by Americans today。 It is a difficult book to read， especially if lack of exposure to and interaction with a variety of people keeps one relatively isolated。 And， yet， the stories are essential to understanding the extent and cost of how these diverse perspectives impact life in the US today。 Wildland is not a quick read。 Thoughtful contemplation adds depth to Osnos’ commentary。 。。。more
Meow
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Fascinating！！！ This is outrageously good and Inam so happy I decided to rea it。 Informative and well worth it！
Susan
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This is a fascinating read by Evan Osnos， journalist at the New Yorker， who went to work in the Middle East and China， after 9/11， before returning to Washington in 2013， newly married and ready to rediscover his country。 He had spent time while away from the US defending his homeland， but， on return， was confronted by changes。 This then is the story of a country， and a time， bounded by 9/11 and attack on the US Capitol on January 6th， 2021。Osnos uses his own family history to good effect， explo This is a fascinating read by Evan Osnos， journalist at the New Yorker， who went to work in the Middle East and China， after 9/11， before returning to Washington in 2013， newly married and ready to rediscover his country。 He had spent time while away from the US defending his homeland， but， on return， was confronted by changes。 This then is the story of a country， and a time， bounded by 9/11 and attack on the US Capitol on January 6th， 2021。Osnos uses his own family history to good effect， exploring three different locations important to him and contrasting the lives of the descendants of a man who committed a violent crime on his great-grandfather， with those charged with such assaults today。 This enables the author to bring a personal feel to the current injustices in the criminal justice system and to explore themes such as race， inequality and the polarisation of wealth and ideology。Of course， it is impossible to tell the stories of those years without telling the story of Trump。 While working away from the States， Osnos had felt that his country stood for the rule of law， the force of truth and the right to pursue a better life。 On his return， it seemed these certainties were under threat。 From the popularity of Fox News to the lack of trust in the government， the influence of wealth in politics， a press under attack and – of course， Trump’s ability to appeal to those who felt resentful， neglected， and misused。 A base of supporters who were ready to listen and a message which matched the mood; ugly， violent， distrustful…。 A mob ready to follow the words of a man who threw out mindless soundbites and encouraged to act without thinking about the implications of what they were doing。 This doesn’t have much in the way of answers， but it may help you understand how， and why， America is currently so polarised and divided。 I received a copy of this book from the publisher， via NetGalley， for review。 。。。more
Mary
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Since the January 6， 2021， assault on the U。S。 Capitol， we are awash in a tidal wave of books from political insiders and pundits， making it ever more difficult to choose a book or two to help us understand how America became so dangerous and divided。 Former foreign correspondent and a Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative reporter， Evan Osnos， now based in Washington， D。C。， provides a unique， startling， eye-opening look at the forces that have brought us to this precipice。 His is the book you sh Since the January 6， 2021， assault on the U。S。 Capitol， we are awash in a tidal wave of books from political insiders and pundits， making it ever more difficult to choose a book or two to help us understand how America became so dangerous and divided。 Former foreign correspondent and a Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative reporter， Evan Osnos， now based in Washington， D。C。， provides a unique， startling， eye-opening look at the forces that have brought us to this precipice。 His is the book you should read for a strong grasp of the three main issues that throughout our history have driven the divide that has only grown wider and deeper today: income inequality， uneven health-care access， and racism。From 2014 up through April 2021， Osnos traveled to three representative states to interview a sampling of nineteen individuals from three cities he himself has lived and worked in: Clarksburg， West Virginia， a proud coal-mining town in Appalachia with a storied history now marred by extreme poverty and opioid addiction; Chicago， where gun crimes are rampant and segregation is pronounced， despite having given rise to our nation’s first black President; and Greenwich， Connecticut， the “hedge fund capital of the world” and the epitome of income extremes。 Through a vivid literary journalistic style， the author weaves the threads of these individuals’ lives into the cloth of historical events to show how the disruptions， dysfunctions， and displacements extant in America today are the “culmination of forces that had been gathering for decades。”The theme of justice lies at the heart of this book。 In an interesting twist， Osnos looks back at a violent assault that nearly took the life of his great-grandfather on the South Side of Chicago in the early 1900s and contrasts it with recent crimes by minorities and what becomes of their perpetrators。 He seeks out the descendants of the white man who assaulted his great-grandfather to learn how they fared and starkly contrasts their lives with those that typify members from the minority community who commit crimes and their kin。 It’s as remarkable and damning a portrait of disparity and whose lives matter most to society as any ever written。 The book’s ending seems at first disappointing and unsatisfying。 But as one ponders why such a meticulous， skilled reporter would leave loose ends， it becomes clear that he intends for the story to dangle， as it were， because the saga continues， and entrenched problems that place our democracy in a precarious state remain unresolved…waiting to see who or what will fill the divide。This review is based on an electronic galley provided for free by the publisher。 。。。more
Victoria
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing the ARC of this upcoming nonfiction title。 Excellent reporting here。 I found the book quite dense， for lack of a better term， yet was compelled to continue reading to the end。 I liked the concept of approaching the current situation from 3 varying perspectives， geographical and class。 And I feel like I learned a lot。 But in the end， I came away unsatisfied。 It seems like the grand conclusions pulling together all this fantastic reporting were Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing the ARC of this upcoming nonfiction title。 Excellent reporting here。 I found the book quite dense， for lack of a better term， yet was compelled to continue reading to the end。 I liked the concept of approaching the current situation from 3 varying perspectives， geographical and class。 And I feel like I learned a lot。 But in the end， I came away unsatisfied。 It seems like the grand conclusions pulling together all this fantastic reporting were missing。 There’s a few pages at the end that try to summarize and pull the threads together， yet I felt like more needed to be said。 。。。more
Chris Barsanti
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Although Osnos' book about how between September 11 and January 6 Americans "lost their vision for the common good" can feel at times like a stitched-together compilation of his 'New Yorker' reporting， that's not necessarily a bad thing。 The country-hopping approach， from West Virginia to Chicago to Greenwich， provides a wealth of vivid backdrops and dramatic examples of how even just in the past two decades the social contract appears to have been shredded。 Osnos is not necessarily as downbeat Although Osnos' book about how between September 11 and January 6 Americans "lost their vision for the common good" can feel at times like a stitched-together compilation of his 'New Yorker' reporting， that's not necessarily a bad thing。 The country-hopping approach， from West Virginia to Chicago to Greenwich， provides a wealth of vivid backdrops and dramatic examples of how even just in the past two decades the social contract appears to have been shredded。 Osnos is not necessarily as downbeat as a George Packer （whose 'The Unwinding' provides a kind of template here） about the nation's prospects。 He makes a point of zeroing in on the people fighting to turn the tide of inequality and to stitch back together the social fabric。 But all the signs he illuminates， from the new culture of "zero-sum" political combat to the increasingly callous brutality of the new American capitalism， point in the wrong direction。 A book whose lessons will be ignored at our own peril。 。。。more
Suzi
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How did we get to this moment in American politics？ That’s the question that esteemed journalist Evan Osnos is examining in “Wildland”。 Osnos centers his perspective around three very different locales – Greenwich， CT， rural West Virginia， and Chicago’s South Side – drawing connections between the economic 1% and those near the bottom of the 99% to uncover how corporate greed， economic and racial inequality， and an ever-weakening social safety net contribute to the simmering fear and anger perco How did we get to this moment in American politics？ That’s the question that esteemed journalist Evan Osnos is examining in “Wildland”。 Osnos centers his perspective around three very different locales – Greenwich， CT， rural West Virginia， and Chicago’s South Side – drawing connections between the economic 1% and those near the bottom of the 99% to uncover how corporate greed， economic and racial inequality， and an ever-weakening social safety net contribute to the simmering fear and anger percolating in the United States。Thank goodness I read this on my Kindle， because there are so many perfectly applicable statistics and quotes that I’d have worn out multiple highlighters trying to capture the many points that resonated with me。 Osnos paints a compelling and compassionate picture of individual Americans while tying them to overall political dysfunction， weaving a thread from 9/11 to the 2008 recession， through the rise of Trump， the pandemic， and the attack on our nation’s capital。 Although the narrative is often bleak， it also glimmers with hope for a better future。 。。。more
Tim
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A very well written book that should be read by everyone who wants to understand how the US got to Jan 6。 Osnos builds a strong case for the ill's of Trump and his team。 With many facts and interesting stories the book a great read。 Once you start it is easy to read and hard to put down。 Rarely do you read a book that is so important in understand the though process of the last 20 years。 A very well written book that should be read by everyone who wants to understand how the US got to Jan 6。 Osnos builds a strong case for the ill's of Trump and his team。 With many facts and interesting stories the book a great read。 Once you start it is easy to read and hard to put down。 Rarely do you read a book that is so important in understand the though process of the last 20 years。 。。。more
Margot Frye
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I received this book as an ARC and this is my review。 I really loved this book！ The author did a fantastic job of researching and writing about what has occurred in America since the 80’s with an emphasis on post 9/11。 This is an easily understood history of how we got from there to here。 I found much of the information surprising but extremely fascinating and I totally recommend this book even if the reader believes they are informed。
Mike
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Read The Unwinding by George Packer first then this。 I loved both。 Admittedly， this book speaks to my preoccupation with the grand erosion of the American project， a rubber band that remains intact but incredibly stretched。 Osnos's storytelling is addictive。 He examines three locales he previously lived in -- Chicago， Greenwich， Connecticut， and Harrison County， West Virginia -- to illustrate how America's institutions have failed its most vulnerable people to the benefit， more often than not， o Read The Unwinding by George Packer first then this。 I loved both。 Admittedly， this book speaks to my preoccupation with the grand erosion of the American project， a rubber band that remains intact but incredibly stretched。 Osnos's storytelling is addictive。 He examines three locales he previously lived in -- Chicago， Greenwich， Connecticut， and Harrison County， West Virginia -- to illustrate how America's institutions have failed its most vulnerable people to the benefit， more often than not， of its wealthiest and most powerful。 Technology （e。g。 social media and assault rifles） has pushed our issues to extremes。 As the focus of our consciousness has shifted from local to national politics， our relationship to our neighbors has all but disappeared。 We are left inside a violent whirlpool， divided into friends and adversaries， with little emphasis on saving anyone but those who we've deemed to be on our side。 How does our time in the whirlpool end？ Osnos avoids offering false hope。 He doesn't indulge easy cynicism。。。 but he also doesn't suggest that peace is on the horizon。 It's difficult， if not impossible， to see our current trends changing course。 。。。more
Kim Thibault
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First， I need to thank Netgalley， Evan Osnos， and the publishing company， Farrar， Straus， and Giroux for this advanced copy of Wildland: The Making Of America's Fury。 I truly appreciate the chance to read this book before it's been published。 I really loved the concept of this nonfiction political book。 I liked how Osnos went to Chicago， IL， Greenwich， CT， and Clarksburg， WV to get a feel for the pulse of the country in a post 2001-Trump era US。 Greenwich may bet the outlier out of the three， bu First， I need to thank Netgalley， Evan Osnos， and the publishing company， Farrar， Straus， and Giroux for this advanced copy of Wildland: The Making Of America's Fury。 I truly appreciate the chance to read this book before it's been published。 I really loved the concept of this nonfiction political book。 I liked how Osnos went to Chicago， IL， Greenwich， CT， and Clarksburg， WV to get a feel for the pulse of the country in a post 2001-Trump era US。 Greenwich may bet the outlier out of the three， but Chicago and Clarksburg had so much more in common than either area would like to admit。 He used his expertise from living in the areas to really build relationships and people seemed to really want to talk to him。 The personal stories of the lowest points in people's lives was heart breaking。 This is definitely a story of how we got to where we are today。 I was really fascinated by the parts of the story about the past year and felt that those two chapters could be a whole book on their own。 There were some issues I had though。 One was， this is an unedited version， I understand that， but there were some glaring errors。 Whether it was the wrong tense， the wrong word， or even just spelling a word wrong， it could be very distracting。 Another thing that I found distracting at times， was how there would be unnecessary descriptions of people。 What they were wearing， what their hair looked like， or even what they were eating or drinking when they met with Osnos。 These descriptions weren't always needed and when they weren't， they felt superfluous and that it was being added to meet a word count。 The last thing that I found distracting at times were the time jumps。 One minute， I'd be reading about the 1850's and the next 2020， it didn't always feel like it made sense。 I understand why it was done， but again， it felt unnecessary at times。 Overall， I did enjoy this book。 It showed exactly why we're at the point in history that we're at。 Osnos did a great job of pointing out that really all this boils down to is the haves and have nots。 Our country has always been about trying to keep the lower classes down and when。 there is upward movement， those in the upper 1% panic and try to find ways to keep them down。 This was a great book。 Thank you again to Netgalley， Evan Osnos， and the FSG Publishing。 。。。more
Stuart Rosen
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If you want to fully understand， “how did we get here” in this political moment of utter divisiveness， I can’t think of a better recommendation than to read Evan Osnos’s fine analysis。 Osnos focuses on three cities and several individuals to explain the gulf we currently face。 Osnos is a beautiful writer， finding just the right observation， statistic or anecdote to connect the dots to our current moment。 No matter how you feel about the Trump years， you’ll conclude， well of course we ended up ri If you want to fully understand， “how did we get here” in this political moment of utter divisiveness， I can’t think of a better recommendation than to read Evan Osnos’s fine analysis。 Osnos focuses on three cities and several individuals to explain the gulf we currently face。 Osnos is a beautiful writer， finding just the right observation， statistic or anecdote to connect the dots to our current moment。 No matter how you feel about the Trump years， you’ll conclude， well of course we ended up right here。 The roots of our divide were there， and growing for decades， drying in the sun， waiting for a spark to ignite the current political inferno。 。。。more
James Beggarly
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