Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal
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- Create Date：2021-06-28 11:31:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：George Packer
- ISBN：1250816114
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Reviews
Susan Tunis
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A smart and clear-eyed look at our current， disfunctional state of affairs。 This is a quick read that should be read by all。
Randy Rasa
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An excellent analysis of the current American moment， informed by previous periods when it felt like the American experiment might fail， and how we emerged from them a stronger union。 Inspiring and hopeful， in a way， while also quite terrifying。 This book provides some tools to help us think about ur current situation， and perhaps， to muddle through。"These years we're living through feel like the 1850s， one crisis after another， an impending collapse that keeps being postponed， and unbearable te An excellent analysis of the current American moment， informed by previous periods when it felt like the American experiment might fail， and how we emerged from them a stronger union。 Inspiring and hopeful， in a way， while also quite terrifying。 This book provides some tools to help us think about ur current situation， and perhaps， to muddle through。"These years we're living through feel like the 1850s， one crisis after another， an impending collapse that keeps being postponed， and unbearable tension between mutual hatred and inconceivable disunion。 There have been several near-death experiences in American history: The Gilded Age， the Great Depression， the 60s， and the nearest of all the Civil War。 Each of them was in some way brought on by inequality， the broken American code， none starker than that between citizen and slave。 We're living through one of our own。 It throws up different problems and makes different demands， but nothing is really new。 Earlier Americans used the same tools of citizenship that are in our possession - journalism， government， activism - when they thought democracy was about to commit suicide。 They show us ways of being American， that we've forgotten that can fortify and instruct us in our own crisis。" 。。。more
Brendan
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The majority of the content of this book is opinion based， and there was plenty of instances where I disagreed with an argument or theory posed by Packer。 Despite those instances though there was still enough here to make this one of the most rewarding books I have read this year。 I tend to be much more critical about things than I ought to be， so this was a surprise to me at least。In the meat of the book he describes the American people as belonging to four distinct groups: Free America， Smart The majority of the content of this book is opinion based， and there was plenty of instances where I disagreed with an argument or theory posed by Packer。 Despite those instances though there was still enough here to make this one of the most rewarding books I have read this year。 I tend to be much more critical about things than I ought to be， so this was a surprise to me at least。In the meat of the book he describes the American people as belonging to four distinct groups: Free America， Smart America， Real America， and Just America。 The descriptions and idiosyncrasies he attributes to each group I do agree with， his assessments were fair for the most part。 Though just as vast and multitudinous as Walt Whitman was， America is even more so。 Putting all American citizens into four categories is a bit oversimplified， though it a better alternative to just red vs。 blue。I understand it is not intended to be an absolute categorization， and that there is plenty of overlap between the groups。 There are more ways to slice the pie， but if it were to just be sliced four ways the Packer did quite well。What I found most rewarding about Last Best Hope is that it described the events of the past year and half and what led to us to this point into words as best as I have seen described thus far。 It articulated the evolution of American politics in a way that I do not find too disagreeable。 There may be better takes out there， but Packer's is quite on point。Lastly， I am thankful to have been further acquainted by two people in American politics profiled in this book， Frances Perkins and Bayard Rustin。 I look forward to discovering more about their lives and achievements in further reading。 。。。more
Joanna Larson
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Much to think about， and act upon， as we all come back into the world following the pandemic。 Time to turn off the screens and get to know one another again。 Packer was able to put so many common feelings into words， point out that which ails us， and also give us hope through our own efforts that things can， and will get better。
JoAnn
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Thought-provoking and insightful。。。 it will take some time to digest this。 I plan to purchase a print copy to reread。
Ryan Boissonneault
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If you had to summarize the current crisis in American politics using just one phrase， a good candidate would be the inability to embrace a shared national narrative。 Several competing and incompatible ideologies are not only pulling us in different directions， but also preventing us from engaging in any kind of productive dialogue with each other。 What the country needs， then， is obvious: unification around a shared set of values。 But with polarization growing deeper every day， is there any sin If you had to summarize the current crisis in American politics using just one phrase， a good candidate would be the inability to embrace a shared national narrative。 Several competing and incompatible ideologies are not only pulling us in different directions， but also preventing us from engaging in any kind of productive dialogue with each other。 What the country needs， then， is obvious: unification around a shared set of values。 But with polarization growing deeper every day， is there any single， unifying narrative that can pull the country back together？ According to journalist and author George Packer， the answer is yes。 But before we get to the solution， we need to dig deeper into the diagnosis。 In Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal， Packer presents his diagnosis of the American crisis as consisting of the country’s simultaneous embrace of four separate narratives that are ultimately incompatible and unsustainable。 Each narrative， if fully realized， would create a world of winners and losers and a political atmosphere of resentment and hatred。 The problem with American politics， then， is not that one ideology needs to defeat another; rather， it’s that the total victory of any of the four dominant ideologies would create a country that the majority of us would want no part of。 Of the four insidious narratives Packer identifies， two occupy the right of the political spectrum and two occupy the left。 But make no mistake， the narratives on the right are， in general， far more dangerous。 While objectivity is important in any author， being “objective” does not mean proclaiming everything to be equal。 The dominant ideologies on the right and left may all be harmful in their own ways， but it's a false equivalence to pretend that the extremism we’re witnessing on the right is of the same character and intensity as that on the left。The left， as far as I can tell， is not primarily interested in disenfranchising voters， gerrymandering， spreading falsehoods， and sowing division as its principal paths to political victory。 The left is not， in general， denying science， advancing wild conspiracy theories， and displaying complete antipathy to the democaratic process if it doesn’t work out in their favor （by proclaiming the election was stolen， with no legitimate evidence， and storming the Capitol）。 The right， in several prominent ways， is collectively engaging in behavior that would otherwise be characterized as narcissistic personality disorder in an individual: from gaslighting to outright lies and manipulation to destructive fits of rage。 So let’s do ourselves a favor and stop pretending that there is a moral equivalency between the parties and that any statement to the contrary is a violation of “objectivity。”With that in mind， let’s start with the right。 The two dominant narratives on the right are （1） Free America and （2） Real America。 Free America is libertarian in nature， with the only freedom that counts for anything being freedom from government regulation and taxes。 This narrative prioritizes the market， big business， and the wealthy—based on the meritocratic myth of the self-made individual—and ignores the needs of the poor， the disadvantaged， and the average worker。 The complete victory of Free America leads to extreme inequality， selfish individualism， poverty traps， and growing resentment from below。The second narrative， Real America， is at heart white Christian nationalist， with its adherents quick to demonize those below them （unskilled immigrant labor） and those above them （the educated， professional class）。 As Packer wrote， "Real America has always needed to feel that both a shiftless underclass and a parasitic elite depend on its labor。 In this way it renders the Black working class invisible。” Real America and Free America often join forces， finding homes for both white supremicists and plutocrats alike （although of course not everyone in Real America is bigoted）， forming an unlikely coalition of business interests， evangelical Christians， and working-class whites。 It needs little elaboration as to why a country founded on these principles is undesirable。 On the left， you have the following two narratives: （1） Smart America and （2） Just America。 Smart America says things like “basket of deplorables” when referring to the other half of the country， and has all but abandoned the Democratic party’s previous commitment to the working class。 Rather than focusing on a unified economic agenda that could expand the middle class， Smart America embraces the frankly conservative meritocratic narrative that prioritizes advanced education and the acquisition of credentials。 Smart America leaves the working class behind， and is largely to blame for the creation of the Real America narrative in the first place。 Last， we have Just America， which values power over reason， censorship over debate， and political correctness over truth。 While Just America rightly points out America’s checkered moral past—and correctly calls for the redress of injustice—they take things too far， essentially becoming anti-patriotic， self-loathing， hypersensitive， and pessimistic。 Living in a country dominated by this narrative would be like living under a psychological dictatorship， with thought police ready to pounce on any perceived offensive or harmful remark （and we wonder why the right has so much antipathy for the left）。 What’s interesting is that， as Packer notes， all four narratives have essentially the same root cause: “almost half a century of rising inequality and declining social mobility。” The working and middle class have suffered stagnant wages while the rich keep getting richer。 Free America blames this on government regulation; Real America blames it on cultural “elites” （but not on economic elites）; Smart America blames it on lack of education and the rejection of globalism; and Just America blames it on white supremacy and institutional racism。But all of this is only part of the story。 Each narrative contains some truth， but also a lot of falsehood。 And each narrative creates an “us versus them” dynamic of resentment， hatred， and isolation， a zero-sum game where if one group wins， the other has to lose。 There has to be a better way than this， and frankly， it’s been staring us in the face all along。 If the root cause of so much fear， resentment， and polarization is growing inequality， then the solution is the widespread adoption of a new positive-sum narrative， one built into the Declaration of Independence and embraced throughout American history: Equal America。 Equal America is not， in Packer’s terms， a country defined by equal outcomes。 Socialism （as traditionally conceived） will never fly in America。 It would be unrealistic to expect the universal embrace of a narrative the country has been so averse to for most of its history。 Rather， Equal America， as Packer defines it， embraces an equality of opportunity for the collective working and middle class， a group that includes all genders， races， and sexual orientations。 Let’s be real: the Republican strategy， for quite some time， has been based on the following tenet: those who are divided culturally cannot unite economically。 That’s why the right rarely has actual solutions to offer for social problems， opting instead to spend most of its time spreading fear and escalating hatred towards the left。 But most of this is exaggeration。 What you see on the news is sensationalistic and represents the extremes; real people are simply not as different as the media would have us believe。 As Packer wrote:“Study after study shows that antagonistic groups begin to lose their mutual hostility and acquire trust when they have to work together， as long as they’re engaged in a specific project， with outside help。。。。Americans from red and blue areas can come together in common endeavors。 They might find out that the other is less a threat to the republic than they supposed。 At least they will be in the company of actual human beings”Equal America， then， embraces our common humanity and economic interests against those of a small， wealthy aristocracy。 The question is， how can we begin to implement this new narrative？ A good place to start is by not allowing cable news， talk radio， and politicians to define our relationships with each other and to actually see for ourselves that the other side may not be as bad as we first supposed—in other words， that we’re dealing with actual human beings。 One way to do this， as Packer suggests， “might be to require a year of national service， in military or civilian form， repaid by scholarship， training stipend， or small-business grant。” Regaining a sense of civic duty through collaborative projects may be just what the country needs to reconnect with the common good。 Packer’s other suggestions are standard fare: campaign finance reform， overturning Citizens United， eliminating political gerrymandering， making voting easier or mandatory， etc。 But the problem is that these solutions are unlikely to be implemented because there is no current incentive for politicians to do so。 The pressure to apply these solutions must come from us， but we’re too busy fighting each other to notice that our politicians are not working to serve our best interests， preferring to work instead for the corporate interests that help to get them elected in the first place。 Overall， Packer’s diagnosis and path forward is， in my estimation， spot on， and represents the only possible solution to our deep polarization。 Whether or not the country will ever embrace this more unifying narrative—or else further entrench themselves in their own divisive ideologies—is a separate question altogether。I can only hope that at some point we grow tired of the in-fighting and empty rhetoric and start demanding real solutions from our politicians， and that Real America realizes that a working class white man and a working class black man have more in common with each other than either of them do with the elites in the Democratic or Republican parties， and that their ability to unite economically against the wealthy minority （of which Trump fully caters to but pretends not to） represents our best chance to reduce inequality and become a less polarized country with a stronger middle class。 I don’t see any other way out of the crisis。 。。。more
Rita
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Packer Explains America For All AmericansGeorge Packer has written a masterpiece with a stated purpose of breaking down our fierce differences and finding a way to return citizenship to the central idea as we relearn how to govern ourselves。 There is a bias towards the utopian ideas of socialism that he admits which allow him to examine all the social and economic ills of today and show how they're mirrored in earlier catastrophic time periods such as 1861， 1931， and 1968。 It will turn some folk Packer Explains America For All AmericansGeorge Packer has written a masterpiece with a stated purpose of breaking down our fierce differences and finding a way to return citizenship to the central idea as we relearn how to govern ourselves。 There is a bias towards the utopian ideas of socialism that he admits which allow him to examine all the social and economic ills of today and show how they're mirrored in earlier catastrophic time periods such as 1861， 1931， and 1968。 It will turn some folks off of his message about true equality; but I found these new old thoughts envigorating。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Robert Kendall
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Packer is one of our finest non-fiction writers。 Packer believes that inequality has undermined our faith in democracy。 In a long and significant chapter， Packer delineates and analyzes four narratives that dominate American political life today。 He calls them Free America， Real America， Smart America， and Just America。 He concludes that we can only break out of our current political deadlock by re-introducing political and social equality。
Cgallozzi
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A portion of this book was excerpted in "The Atlantic" Magazine - which is where I first encountered it。The basic thesis involves there being more than 1 America - 'n' Americas - four of them described with detailed worldviews， biases and 'sense or right/wrong and grievance' as follows:Free America - libertarianism - government should get out of the way and let entrepreneurs make $。Smart America - favored by Symbolic Analysts who work for big companies Meritocracy worked for them and is viable f A portion of this book was excerpted in "The Atlantic" Magazine - which is where I first encountered it。The basic thesis involves there being more than 1 America - 'n' Americas - four of them described with detailed worldviews， biases and 'sense or right/wrong and grievance' as follows:Free America - libertarianism - government should get out of the way and let entrepreneurs make $。Smart America - favored by Symbolic Analysts who work for big companies Meritocracy worked for them and is viable for them and their families。Real America - The Sarah Palin audience - good work a day people screwed by the Coastal Elites - old fashioned populism with enrolled White Evangelical Christians。。。。。。Justice/Unjustice America - 'woke' 'woke' and 'woke' sections of society who believe in Critical Race Theory and Defund the Police （even if Defund the Police doesn't serve the need of high crime neighborhoods）。。。。Packer describes each in detail - lists their strengths， weaknesses and blindspots。 Each of these are really ideologies - each with their own worldview and strength of certainty - 。。。。I'm right the others are wrong。。。not sure what there is to compromise about。I've since read a rebuttal to Packer's 4 America thesis - where the author suggests that Joe Biden won the Presidency not by advocating either Smart of Justice America - but rather represented himself as an ally of the working and middle class - "the Middle Class built America。。。and the Unions built the Middle Class。。。" Biden's advocacy of the Middle and Working Class 'won' him the MidWest and the Presidency [and the fact that he was NOT Donald Trump]。 The author points out that while Packer's theoretical framework has some merit - it didn't propel Biden to victory in 2020。 The author suggests that Packer's thesis might need some enhancement。Major point for me that perhaps should have been obvious in all this talk about "Freedom" - "Freedom" in DeTocqueville's terms means being free to exercise a self-government ourselves in the United States。 In my observation of the Anit-Vaxxers/Maskers- I don't believe that is their definition of 'Freedom' - the essence of what DeT was talking about was engagement so that the necessary compromises could be made [between the then different constituencies - North South Commercial Agrarian] so that the then country could self-govern itself。 This is an important point - and I think it mostly lost in today's conversation。Not too many suggestions for how to fix - usual - end to Gerrymandering， have people engage people of other belief systems - take initial action at the local level - and work to both change the laws wrt Citizen's United - and also so as to reinforce the Anti-Trust laws - working to address the concentration of economic and political power by 'big business' in America。 Good luck with this。Thoughtful - generally well balanced - viewpoints [in the context that all viewpoints have downsides]- reminds me of an expanded John Edward's Two Americas stump speech - but Packer's thesis should be relevant as one frame for discussing how America is currently divided。Should be of interest to individuals interested in recent and political history。Carl GallozziCgallozzi@comcast。net 。。。more
Mlg
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Thought provoking book on the last 4-5 years。 Packer finds interesting parallels to our history and introduces the reader to a number of fascinating historical figures。 While i didn’t agree with all of his ideas， the majority of them would result in making the US a stronger nation。 His lengthy discussion of the Jan 6 rioters was one of the best I have read。
Donna Mcdowell
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An Awesome ReadI recommend that everyone a this book now。 We need to stop living in our silos， and reach out to those we think we despise and find common ground。
Patrick
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Best book I've read about the causes of and possible remedies for the divisions that exist in the United States。 Well written and a fast read。 Best book I've read about the causes of and possible remedies for the divisions that exist in the United States。 Well written and a fast read。 。。。more
Terry Earley
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recommended 6-14-2021
Bruce Katz
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I'm not going to get this right。 For one thing， there's simply too much in the book -- too much to think about， absorb， wrestle with -- to cover in a review like this。 For another， I'm very reluctant to quote or say too much about a book that isn't out yet。 I'm reluctant to accidentally misrepresent or trivialize any of the author's points。I liked Packer's last book， "The Unpacking，" well enough， but in the end I found it unsatisfying。 "Last Best Hope，" though， impressed me entirely。 I found it I'm not going to get this right。 For one thing， there's simply too much in the book -- too much to think about， absorb， wrestle with -- to cover in a review like this。 For another， I'm very reluctant to quote or say too much about a book that isn't out yet。 I'm reluctant to accidentally misrepresent or trivialize any of the author's points。I liked Packer's last book， "The Unpacking，" well enough， but in the end I found it unsatisfying。 "Last Best Hope，" though， impressed me entirely。 I found it an astute， honest， and fair description of where the United States is today in terms of culture and politics， how we got here， and what we need to do if we hope to bring the country together and make it governable。 In short， it's timely， earnest， impassioned and， yes， important。The "where we are" diagnosis Packer lays out here is bleak and familiar。 We are a society at war with ourselves。 We are two countries inhabiting different worlds。 We don't and can't speak to one another。 "Americans can no longer think and act as fellow citizens。 We look for answers in private panaceas， fixed ideas， group identities， dreams of the future and the past， saviors of different types — everywhere but in ourselves。"In a passage that explains the book's title， he somberly writes， What do we see in the mirror now？ An unstable country， political institutions that might not be perpetuated， a people divided into warring tribes and prone to violence — the kind of country we used to think we could save。 No one is going to save us。 We are our last best hope。Packer doesn't soften what obstacles must be overcome if we hope to save ourselves。 It won't be an easy fix， given the circumstances。 "Our thought leaders sound like carnival barkers， [and] our citizenry seems to be suffering through early-state National Cognitive Decline。"（Which of course recalled Yeats'， "The best lack all conviction， while the worst are full of passionate intensity，" as how could it not？）In "Last Best Hope" Packer offers a kind of taxonomy of the conceptual nations that currently make up America， four narratives that have grown out of an array of cultural， historical， political， and economic currents: Free America， Smart America， Real America， and Just America。 I suppose some might argue that creating categories like this is reductive and facile。 I didn't find this to be the case; rather， I found his analysis nuanced and useful。 Packer explores in detail these narratives， showing where they overlap， where they diverge， what values motivate them， and what visions of America and patriotism and community shape them。 His desciption of these different Americas -- all of which I found convincing -- make up a large part of the book， but his project goes far beyond mere taxonomy。 I can do it no justice in any summary I might write here。Packer is extraordinarily fair-minded， more so than any analysis of our time that I've read。 On one side， he makes no attempt to disguise his contempt for what Republicans have become over the past few decades。 "By 2010，" he writes， "[the GOP] was like a figure in a hall of mirrors whose head and body have been severed but continue to move as if they’re still attached。" For years they demonstrated a willingness to do just about anything， including sacrificing democracy， in the search for power。 Their cynical hunger for power found a medium through which to express itself in November 2016， and a figurehead that demanded of them no solutions， ideas， or action， only loyalty and a willingness to look the other way。 Trump saw the federal government as property he’d acquired by winning the election。 And the GOP was happy to go along for the ride。 Just as they were （and have been） since the January 6 attack on Congress。 The GOP is definitely undermining the norms of governance， but there's plenty of blame to go around。 As Packer says， One party descended into extremism and then nihilism， dragging half the country with it and making the whole country ungovernable。 The other party sliced up its half into groups， calculating that the sum of them would keep it in power。Packer has no patience for the fragmentation he discerns in the politics of the Left， the academic， "critical theory" mentality that sees the world through an unhelpful and rarefied lens。 He holds nothing back in identifying the guilty: the universities， newspapers of record （the NY Times gets its share of scorn here， but they are nor alone）， the use of language （"instead of ‘wrong’ and ‘unjust’ we say ‘problematic’ and ‘marginalizing，’ words that turn social justice into specialized work and warn everyone else off， while raising a barrier between thought and action"）， the limited vision of the Smart elite。 What has developed in America， broadly speaking， is a culture that is more about performance than about communication: No one says what they think when the setting is a university classroom， an anti-bias training session， a newspaper op-ed， or a tweet。 Packer identifies what he perceives as the forces that feed our dysfunction: meritocracy， economic inequality， anger fueled by frustration， flawed and decrepit institutions （"the Senate， an ancient corpse around the neck of democracy"）， raw self-interest。。。 More -- and more nuanced and substantial -- than I can hope to summarize or usefully describe here。 There are so many highlighted passages， so many notes in the margins of my digital ARC。 Some examples:"To believe that Trump showed us who we really are is no different from believing that Obama showed us who we really are。 Narcissism is expressed in extremes of self-contempt as well as self-adoration。""One country believes we narrowly averted the overthrow of democracy， and the other believes we saw its brazen perversion in a massive fraud。 Each views the other as an existential enemy with whom compromise would be betrayal。""…these two classes， rising professionals and sinking workers， which a couple of generations ago were close in incomes and not so far apart in mores， no longer believe they belong to the same country。 But they can’t escape each other。"Packer's analysis provides a solid foundation for what he believes must be done if the US is to survive， not only as a global power but as a functioning， nation。 His recommendations， which I won't enumerate here， made a lot of sense to me。 What he seeks is not an American Garden of Eden， but something more modest and attainable: a nation that is governable。 "[We] don’t have to reach the heavenly shores of brotherhood and sisterhood — just a modicum of trust。"I will be buying a hard copy of the book when it comes out next month。 I want to be able to lend it to friends and relatives。 Simply stated， I found "Last Best Hope" to be the most incisive analysis of Our Current Situation I've seen。 I don't believe it will be universally well received -- it's too candid in its criticism of both parties， both cultures， and many people will doubtless get defensive -- but it deserves very serious attention。 It will， I hope inspire an honest and necessary conversation。[A postscript added several weeks after I first wrote the review: After reflection， I am even even more impressed by this book than when I first read it。 The adaptation that is the cover story in this month's edition of The Atlantic offers a thoughtful entree into Packer's analysis。]My thanks to Farrar， Straus and Giroux for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest evaluation。 。。。more
James Beggarly
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Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the early ebook。 In this slim book the author paints the bleak picture of America’s present: The awful divides of race， political parties， wage inequality and finds our country on the brink of crises that mirrors the Civil War， the Depression and the turmoil of the late 1960’s。 The book quickly traces how America came to each of those crises in the past and how they pulled back from the cliff of total destruction。 And he shows a series of steps that can lead to a Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the early ebook。 In this slim book the author paints the bleak picture of America’s present: The awful divides of race， political parties， wage inequality and finds our country on the brink of crises that mirrors the Civil War， the Depression and the turmoil of the late 1960’s。 The book quickly traces how America came to each of those crises in the past and how they pulled back from the cliff of total destruction。 And he shows a series of steps that can lead to a renewed and unified country for today， if only we can find leaders unafraid to honestly lead， aided with farseeing allies working behind the scenes。 A frank and bracing book。 。。。more
Caren
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