How the Force Can Fix the World: Star Wars as a Guide to Personal Growth and Political Reconciliation
- Downloads：9851
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-09 18:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Stephen Kent
- ISBN：1546000461
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Meg Dowell
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Many fans of a galaxy far， far away use Star Wars as an escape from reality - as all have every right to do。 But the more you peel back the layers of the franchise’s story， the more difficult it becomes to separate the fictional world’s themes and ideas from our own very real lives。How the Force Can Fix the World builds its foundations on this very concept - that it’s not only possible， but beneficial to use Star Wars as a means of personal growth。 Stephen uses historical examples from the Ameri Many fans of a galaxy far， far away use Star Wars as an escape from reality - as all have every right to do。 But the more you peel back the layers of the franchise’s story， the more difficult it becomes to separate the fictional world’s themes and ideas from our own very real lives。How the Force Can Fix the World builds its foundations on this very concept - that it’s not only possible， but beneficial to use Star Wars as a means of personal growth。 Stephen uses historical examples from the American political landscape to draw parallels between Star Wars and modern society， using the stories we know and love to show us how we can rethink the way we interact with the people around us - both those we agree with and those we don’t。Reading this book made me feel a sense of hope I haven’t felt in quite some time。 I’m beyond grateful to the author for providing me an advanced copy and that I can wholeheartedly recommend the book to all of you。May the Force be with us。 Always。 。。。more
Andrew Bell
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As a longtime Star Wars fan， I would have wagered a considerably large amount of money that no sociopolitical commentary could change the way that I view my favorite films。 Thankfully， I didn't。 Had I made that wager， I would have found myself much poorer after reading Stephen Kent's How The Force Can Change The World。 This book takes familiar characters， scenes， and themes， and produces unfamiliar analysis that makes these stories even more applicable than I ever thought they could be。 I cannot As a longtime Star Wars fan， I would have wagered a considerably large amount of money that no sociopolitical commentary could change the way that I view my favorite films。 Thankfully， I didn't。 Had I made that wager， I would have found myself much poorer after reading Stephen Kent's How The Force Can Change The World。 This book takes familiar characters， scenes， and themes， and produces unfamiliar analysis that makes these stories even more applicable than I ever thought they could be。 I cannot recommend this book strongly enough， to Star Wars fans and non-Star Wars fans alike。 。。。more
Dominic
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I’m a longtime listener of the Beltway Banthas podcast， so I’m familiar with Stephen Kent’s thoughts on the intersection between politics and Star Wars。 How the Force Can Fix the World is a distillation of some of his discussions on the podcast。 However， it’s probably better to characterize this book as a self-help manual than a political analysis。 Howt the Force Can Fix the World does discuss how Star Wars can inform our approach to politics， but more than that it’s about how Star Wars can help I’m a longtime listener of the Beltway Banthas podcast， so I’m familiar with Stephen Kent’s thoughts on the intersection between politics and Star Wars。 How the Force Can Fix the World is a distillation of some of his discussions on the podcast。 However， it’s probably better to characterize this book as a self-help manual than a political analysis。 Howt the Force Can Fix the World does discuss how Star Wars can inform our approach to politics， but more than that it’s about how Star Wars can help us live more mindful lives and become better citizens。Each chapter of the book discusses a moral or philosophical concept， such as free will or redemption， and draws explicit lessons from the Star Wars films （and occasionally the TV shows）。 For example， Kent argues that the redemptions of Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo are urgent reminders of how forgiveness and empathy aren’t just naive ideals， but help keep our society civil。 The chapters on hope and choice are pleas to remain optimistic even during Dark Times。 Each chapter ends with several mindfulness techniques designed to help readers live the values of Star Wars in their own lives。 In this sense， How the Force Can Fix the World is less about fixing the world and more about fixing ourselves。Building on his background as a political commentators， many of Kent’s examples involve politics or political discourse。 Kent is a self-described conservative/libertarian。 Sadly， that might put off some readers， but shouldn’t。 Kent is that rare breed of thoughtful， compassionate conservative; he’s not a conspiracy theorist and he believes in social justice。 How the Force Can Fix the World does critique excesses of both the Left and the Right， but generally focuses less on specific policies and more on how we conduct ourselves in the political sphere。 In other words， How the Force Can Fix the World doesn’t push a conservative or libertarian policy agenda， but does challenge readers to disagree respectfully。 In this respect， Kent reminds me of Arthur Brooks， another conservative “happy warrior” whose work focuses at least as much on emotional wellbeing as on deregulation。My favorite parts of the book are the most autobiographical。 Kent sometimes discusses his personal struggles and how Star Wars helped him put his problems in perspective。 The epilogue’s message of allowing the moral lessons of Star Wars to live inside us despite the toxicity in fandom particularly resonated with me。 Even if you don’t agree with Kent’s politics or his interpretations of each film， How the Force Can Fix the World is a useful reminder that we should strive to live the virtues embodied in our favorite franchise。 Star Wars is more than entertainment; it’s a moral education。[NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。] 。。。more
Lydia
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