Politics

The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America

The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America

  • Downloads：6640
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-30 00:19:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adam Serwer
  • ISBN：B08N86T56C
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Traci at The Stacks ，

The history connected to the present is top notch。 Loved Serwers reflections on his own work。 So really incredible and well formed arguments about this current political moment。 The writing was sometimes hard to follow a little over written。

Mabinty ，

Adam Serwer is one of the most incisive writers of the 21st century。 'The Cruelty is the Point' is a detailed book that shows readers how the American public went from electing the first African American president to electing Donald Trump。 It is easy for people to think that Trump's election is an aberration， but 'The Cruelty is the Point' shows that Trump is part of an American history that far too often been ignored or excised from the American public sphere。 Serwer is literally correcting the Adam Serwer is one of the most incisive writers of the 21st century。 'The Cruelty is the Point' is a detailed book that shows readers how the American public went from electing the first African American president to electing Donald Trump。 It is easy for people to think that Trump's election is an aberration， but 'The Cruelty is the Point' shows that Trump is part of an American history that far too often been ignored or excised from the American public sphere。 Serwer is literally correcting the record and undoing the whitewashing of history with this collection of essays。 Serwer reminds us that: racism， white nationalism or antisemitism are not limited to any one party; Justice is not inevitable， but it most be fought for over and over throughout history。 Liberals and conservatives have both at times enacted cruel policies that have devastated vulnerable communities。 Towards the end of 'The Cruelty is the Point' Sewer traces a line from the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter Movement through the history of police unions。 At the same time he reminds us that the U。S。 has often been at the brink of massive change and then stepped away from truly creating a multiracial democracy。 The question that runs through this book is whether the U。S。 will continue to move forward towards progress or once again fail to live up the creed 'all men are created equal'？*** This was my review after winning the give away for this book。 。。。more

Stuart Jennings ，

This book should definitely go down in historyas the definitive battle cry for what NOT to doin a country that cherishes Democracy。。。Adam Serwer has down an amazing job puttingthis book together。。。Highly Recommended！

Amethyst ，

I was not looking to read a book about Trump。 The wounds that resulted from his presidency still feel too raw， and that is because the cruelty didn’t end because he lost the 2020 election。 Our democracy is still being threatened， as evidenced by the most recent use of the filibuster by Republicans to block voting rights。 Adam Serwer wrote for The Atlantic （June 2021）， “The most immediate threat to American democracy was removed once Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election failed。 But with I was not looking to read a book about Trump。 The wounds that resulted from his presidency still feel too raw， and that is because the cruelty didn’t end because he lost the 2020 election。 Our democracy is still being threatened， as evidenced by the most recent use of the filibuster by Republicans to block voting rights。 Adam Serwer wrote for The Atlantic （June 2021）， “The most immediate threat to American democracy was removed once Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election failed。 But with Trump gone， the Republican Party has focused on the long-term project of engineering the electorate to preserve its hold on power。”I picked this up based on the high praise of writers I trust and appreciate， Ta-Nehisi Coates and Kiese Laymon。 Glad I did。 This is a book that is unafraid of telling the truth and filing in “the gaps in American public memory” about the connections between the present and past。 It is an unflinching meditation on the Trump presidency and of our brutal history that paved the way for the Trump era， from the cruelty of separating enslaved families to the apparent expendability of the poor during our current pandemic。 It also talks about related topics （and how they relate） including immigration， internal Jewish community divisions， and police unions。 While many people including myself may have Trump-fatigue， we must reckon with what led to his rise; recognize the interconnectedness of politics， race， and economics; and make strides toward a more perfect union。Thank you to Adam Serwer， One World （an imprint of Random House）， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title before its release next week。 May we never forget the cruelty of Trump’s America。 。。。more

Chad Guarino ，

The Cruelty Is the Point is another entry in the long line of material written about the endlessly problematic Donald Trump presidency and the cult of personality surrounding him。 It's a compilation of Adam Serwer's greatest hits essays from his time covering Trump's four years in office for the Atlantic， from his surprise election all the way up to the infamous Capitol riot of January 2021。 Books such as this seemed to be a dime a dozen throughout the entire Trump presidency， basically writing The Cruelty Is the Point is another entry in the long line of material written about the endlessly problematic Donald Trump presidency and the cult of personality surrounding him。 It's a compilation of Adam Serwer's greatest hits essays from his time covering Trump's four years in office for the Atlantic， from his surprise election all the way up to the infamous Capitol riot of January 2021。 Books such as this seemed to be a dime a dozen throughout the entire Trump presidency， basically writing themselves from the continual stream of inanity from the Oval Office， so the general reader can be forgiven for a bit of fatigue approaching this one。 However， Serwer's analytical and historical takes on Trump's rise and consolidation in the modern Republican party are both informative and terrifying enough to offer enough nuance to justify the read。 Serwer's chapters on race are particularly essential as he compares some of the current tactics and rhetoric being used now to eras of the past such as Jim Crow。 This isn't uplifting reading， but as Serwer states in the title， that's exactly the point。 **I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House** 。。。more