Last Best Hope: An Essay on the Revival of America
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- Author：George Packer
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Summary
Acclaimed National Book Award-winning author George Packer diagnoses America’s descent into a failed state， and envisions a path toward overcoming our injustices， paralyses， and divides
In the year 2020， Americans suffered one rude blow after another to their health， livelihoods， and collective self-esteem。 A ruthless pandemic， an inept and malign government response， polarizing protests， and an election marred by conspiracy theories left many citizens in despair about their country and its democratic experiment。 With pitiless precision， the year exposed the nation’s underlying conditions—discredited elites， weakened institutions， blatant inequalities—and how difficult they are to remedy。
In Last Best Hope， George Packer traces the shocks back to their sources。 He explores the four narratives that now dominate American life: Free America， which imagines a nation of separate individuals and serves the interests of corporations and the wealthy; Smart America， the world view of Silicon Valley and the professional elite; Real America， the white Christian nationalism of the heartland; and Just America， which sees citizens as members of identity groups that inflict or suffer oppression。
In lively and biting prose， Packer shows that none of these narratives can sustain a democracy。 To point a more hopeful way forward， he looks for a common American identity and finds it in the passion for equality—the “hidden code”—that Americans of diverse persuasions have held for centuries。 Today， we are challenged again to fight for equality and renew what Alexis de Tocqueville called “the art” of self-government。 In its strong voice and trenchant analysis， Last Best Hope is an essential contribution to the literature of national renewal。
In the year 2020， Americans suffered one rude blow after another to their health， livelihoods， and collective self-esteem。 A ruthless pandemic， an inept and malign government response， polarizing protests， and an election marred by conspiracy theories left many citizens in despair about their country and its democratic experiment。 With pitiless precision， the year exposed the nation’s underlying conditions—discredited elites， weakened institutions， blatant inequalities—and how difficult they are to remedy。
In Last Best Hope， George Packer traces the shocks back to their sources。 He explores the four narratives that now dominate American life: Free America， which imagines a nation of separate individuals and serves the interests of corporations and the wealthy; Smart America， the world view of Silicon Valley and the professional elite; Real America， the white Christian nationalism of the heartland; and Just America， which sees citizens as members of identity groups that inflict or suffer oppression。
In lively and biting prose， Packer shows that none of these narratives can sustain a democracy。 To point a more hopeful way forward， he looks for a common American identity and finds it in the passion for equality—the “hidden code”—that Americans of diverse persuasions have held for centuries。 Today， we are challenged again to fight for equality and renew what Alexis de Tocqueville called “the art” of self-government。 In its strong voice and trenchant analysis， Last Best Hope is an essential contribution to the literature of national renewal。
Reviews
Greg
，
Mr。 Packer， an eminent journalist and a staff writer for the venerable The Atlantic magazine， has given us a remarkable book， one of the most insightful， approachable， and sympathetic assessment of the state of our beloved nation today。 He calls populism “the politics of ‘the people’ turned against ‘the elites。” It is “inherent in democracies， always lurking， and it grows out of control when citizens feel that their needs are going unmet or their voices unheard。 Then they will revolt against the Mr。 Packer， an eminent journalist and a staff writer for the venerable The Atlantic magazine， has given us a remarkable book， one of the most insightful， approachable， and sympathetic assessment of the state of our beloved nation today。 He calls populism “the politics of ‘the people’ turned against ‘the elites。” It is “inherent in democracies， always lurking， and it grows out of control when citizens feel that their needs are going unmet or their voices unheard。 Then they will revolt against the class above them that claims to rule by right of superior knowledge and seems to do so for its own benefit。” This is a brilliant， but simple， evocation of what we have heard so often from people who feel that they have not just fallen behind but， worse， left behind。 They believe they have been lectured to， used， and demeaned by people who parade their “superior” education， class， or work position。t“Once politics becomes an identity clash or tribal war， a death spiral can set in that’s very hard to escape。 Aided by information technology， which gives everyone all the reality of their own that they could want， this epistemic rupture is more powerful than personal experience， monetary interest， or even the fervid and tremendous IDEA。 Democracy’s survival depends upon what happens inside our skulls， where anything is possible。 The destruction of a shared reality does more damage than economic decline or impeachable acts。” [p。 32]tIn his truly fascinating second chapter – one that appears largely intact， in fact， in the current issue of The Atlantic – he describes how the United States has essentially become fractured into four groups each of which has a different narrative about itself， its origin， worth， and legitimacy。 Before describing these groups， he writes:But if I were to put it in a single sentence， I would say: Inequality undermined the common faith that Americans need to create a successful multi-everything democracy。 The post-industrial era has concentrated political and economic power in just a few hands and denied ordinary people control of their own lives。 Overwhelmed by unfathomably large forces， 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。 When none of these sets us free， we turn against one another。t…I want to talk about what happened in terms of narratives。 Nations， like individuals， tells stories in order to understand what they are， where they come from， and what they want to be。 [Such] are prone to sentimentality， grievance， pride， shame， self-blindness。 There is never just one – they compete with one another and constantly change。The most durable narratives are not the ones that stand up best to fact checking。 They’re the ones that address our deepest needs and desires。Like many of the other writers I have read， he traces the beginnings of our descent into the maelstrom to the aftermath of the’60s and such key events as the highly divisive war in Vietnam， the cultural revolution among many of the young， the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts in the middle of that decade， the subsequent exodus of most whites from the Democratic to the Republican Party， and the beginning of the enduring switch in economic thinking and public policy from continuing policies that had led to the flourishing of the middle class （at least for most whites） from the end of the second world war and towards tax and spending positions that led to the present vast gap between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of Americans。All of this has created an America that is badly riven in which various groupings of Americans see themselves as falling behind， losing their just place in the sun， and seeing little hope for improvement in the future。What can done？“Equality，” asserts Packer， “is the hidden American code， the unspoken feeling that everyone shares， even if it’s not articulated or fulfilled: the desire to be everyone’s equal – which is not the same thing as the desire for everyone to be equal。” Such equality is what Tocqueville， writing in the 1830s， described as “the ardent， insatiable， eternal， and invincible” desire of democratic peoples。 Packer acknowledges that this code “always made one exception。 The perpetual test of equality in America is the condition of Black Americans。”Because true equality today has virtually disappeared， Parker observes， “there’s no longer any basis for shared citizenship， the art of self-government is lost， and everything falls apart…。 We cannot act as fellow citizens unless we are equal。”To do that， we are going to have to aggressively “reset” current multiple inequities， and it is in both the process and success of doing so that we can rediscover our mutual bonds。 Here is how Packer frames the necessary agenda:“We have to make changes at the largest and the most personal levels – in economic structures and in habits of thinking and acting。 We have to create the conditions of equality and acquire the art of self-government。 The two are inseparable， and doing each one makes the other possible。”He quotes Walter Lippmann from his 1914 Drift and Misery: “You can’t expect civic virtue from a disenfranchised class…The first item in the program of self-government is to drag the whole population well above the misery line。”Packer continues: “The American passion for equality is thwarted by vastly and permanently unequal conditions。 If Americans are to achieve the equality that has always attracted and always eluded us， government will have to be the prime mover， though not the only one。”1。t“To save our democracy， we must restructure our economy to make us equal Americans… The first big step is to repair the safety net so that workers and families are no longer at perpetual risk of falling through and drowning， as millions have in the pandemic。 This means essentially extending the New Deal to more Americans in more areas of their lives: universal health care， child care， paid family and sick leave， stronger workplace safety protections， unemployment insurances that doesn’t fail in a crisis， a living minimum wage。”2。tBut that is not enough for the “vast lower two-thirds of the income scale。” We have to give labor more power by:a。tMaking it easier to organize workers by passing labor reform bills;b。tDirect large-scale government investments into key national sectors – clean energy， manufacturing， education， and caregiving – to create jobs， stimulate innovation， and raise the pay and status of workers。c。tWorkers should have representation on corporate boards， collective bargaining by sector than company， and wage boards that set minimum terms for low-wage industries like face food。3。tExpand the estate tax to stop the cycle of ever-decreasing equality of opportunity。4。tConsider reducing the power of professional guilds by changing licensing rules so that nurses and paralegals can do some of the work and make some of the money currently monopolized by doctors and lawyers。5。tMove the funding structure of public schools away from heavy independence on local taxes and toward federal and state taxes， so that spending on children in rich school districts is not longer two to three times what it is in poorer districts。6。tReward teachers in poorer schools with hardship pay。7。tTackle both monopoly power and the severe problem caused by the flow of wealthy floods of money into political campaigns and policy matters。8。tTackle the tremendous difficulty posed by media devoted to disinformation and lies。 An important component of this is to revitalize local journalism through innovative funding mechanisms dependent upon community support rather than advertising while also making the Internet a truly more civic space， perhaps by introducing the equivalent of public TV and radio as a source of trusted information。9。tChange our activism of protest into an activism of cohesion。 This can best be done at the local rather than the state or federal level。10。tLast， but hardly least， tackle the various ways state legislatures are working not just to suppress voter turn-out， but also to select the voters they wish。 End gerrymandering， expand voter registration to make it automatic， and ensure that each district has equal capacity to meet the needs of voters in their locality。“But，” Packer concludes， “self-government starts in ourselves。 The most basic ways Americans can acquire what Tocqueville called ‘habits of the heart’ is by killing their Twitter or Facebook accounts and spending time in the physical presence of other Americans who don’t look or talk or think like them。 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。 The best idea for making America again as a single country might be to require a year of national service， in military or civilian form， repaid by scholarship， training stipend， or small-business grant。”A guiding principle for all of this was provided years ago by the remarkable Bayard Rustin:“If， then， democracy is political， equality is economic and social…。We must remember that we cannot hope to achieve democracy and equality in such a way that would destroy the very kind of society we hope to build。” 。。。more
Nicholas
，
3。5
Troy Mertins
，
Very eloquent。 Will take some time to unpack it all， but I will be thinking about this book a lot
Kris Fernandez-Everett
，
I always find George Packer’s points of view and contentions to be both well considered and worthy。 I’d read the ‘Four Americas’ section of the book via The Atlantic already， and I enjoyed seeing how he moved from that analysis to proposed points of action。 This book， though， may be the victim of a couple of those Americas — in the current climate， I can’t imagine the book reaching beyond the choir it preaches to， to others who could learn about different ways of thinking from its contents。
David Moberly
，
The author George Packer circles around repeatedly that we must learn again to self-govern。 For this to be reinforced， we must promote democracy and equality in terms of healthcare and other unfinished business since the New Deal。 The discussion of the four types of America are interesting， and I recommend finding an interview with Mr Packer about these four categories， such as on Al Frankin’s podcast， which is how I learned about this book。
Caro
，
In the tradition of Tom Paine and other rabble-rousers， Packer lays out the problems with America today and offers a way forward。 His analysis of the four Americas - Real （flyover country， Sarah Palin）， Smart （professional class）， Free （libertarians） and Just （BLM et al。）- is illuminating， even when some of what he says is uncomfortable。 As always， solutions are much harder。 He recommends focussing on equality as a way to bring the four Americas together。 How this will happen， who knows？ But kud In the tradition of Tom Paine and other rabble-rousers， Packer lays out the problems with America today and offers a way forward。 His analysis of the four Americas - Real （flyover country， Sarah Palin）， Smart （professional class）， Free （libertarians） and Just （BLM et al。）- is illuminating， even when some of what he says is uncomfortable。 As always， solutions are much harder。 He recommends focussing on equality as a way to bring the four Americas together。 How this will happen， who knows？ But kudos for a short， engaging， thought-provoking book。 。。。more
Mandy
，
Highly recommend。 I want everyone to read this。
Zachery Tyson
，
Simply put one of the best books I've read all year。 Simply put one of the best books I've read all year。 。。。more
Donna
，
Packer writes in real time of the Trump presidency and the power of the pandemic to change the world。 His insights into the four Americas is interest and a bit frightening as there remains a push to keep these four groups from uniting on anything。 Just the kind of instant analysis based on a lifetime of in-depth reading and thinking I was hoping to find about the current condition in America。
Veronica Watson
，
This Essay gives a voice to my concerns about the ideological direction of American politics and the huge inequalities in our economic， material daily experience。 The culture wars that have rocked America from it's moorings while those waging it ignore or dismiss the ones truly in power and failing to include ALL those that have been marginalized by these forces。 These culture wars have been largely self inflicted， it's a hollowing out and a fracturing of institutions， educational foundations， d This Essay gives a voice to my concerns about the ideological direction of American politics and the huge inequalities in our economic， material daily experience。 The culture wars that have rocked America from it's moorings while those waging it ignore or dismiss the ones truly in power and failing to include ALL those that have been marginalized by these forces。 These culture wars have been largely self inflicted， it's a hollowing out and a fracturing of institutions， educational foundations， democratic recourse that have been decades coming。 But it's not a lost cause， according to Packer。 This is a call to step back from the ledge and reclaim citizenship and self governance。 I can't recommend it enough to understand America in this particular era。 。。。more
Adam
，
Packer suggests that re-examination of how government， journalism and activism currently function can stand as an impetus for improving overall equality in the US。 He argues that we， as Americans， are already equal in our own personal （and collective） desires for equality。 It was a thought that hit home for me。4 stars。 Most of the suggestions for improving equality in present-day America would be extremely difficult to achieve; however， they aren't beyond the pale。 A relevant perspective。 Packer suggests that re-examination of how government， journalism and activism currently function can stand as an impetus for improving overall equality in the US。 He argues that we， as Americans， are already equal in our own personal （and collective） desires for equality。 It was a thought that hit home for me。4 stars。 Most of the suggestions for improving equality in present-day America would be extremely difficult to achieve; however， they aren't beyond the pale。 A relevant perspective。 。。。more
Jeremy
，
3。5 stars。I'm torn on this one。 Packer is an exceptional political writer and thinker。 The prologue and first chapter of this book are insightful and compelling。 The "four Americas" middle， which comprises the bulk of the book， is solidly argued even if a bit overgeneralized。 After that， this book goes off the rails a bit。 I was left rather unconvinced by Packer's discussion of "equal America"， his citation to Greeley， Perkins， and Rustin as exemplars， and his prescription on where to go from he 3。5 stars。I'm torn on this one。 Packer is an exceptional political writer and thinker。 The prologue and first chapter of this book are insightful and compelling。 The "four Americas" middle， which comprises the bulk of the book， is solidly argued even if a bit overgeneralized。 After that， this book goes off the rails a bit。 I was left rather unconvinced by Packer's discussion of "equal America"， his citation to Greeley， Perkins， and Rustin as exemplars， and his prescription on where to go from here。 There's good stuff here nonetheless。 。。。more
Feng Ouyang
，
In this book， George Packer proposed his theory of why America is in such a political polarization and what we should do to make it better。The main part of the book is explaining the political split of America。 This part was recaptured by the author’s article on The Atlantic https://www。theatlantic。com/magazine/。。。。 According to the author， there are four major forces in today’s American politics。•tFree America。 This is the traditional “right-wing。” It came from the merge of economic libertarian In this book， George Packer proposed his theory of why America is in such a political polarization and what we should do to make it better。The main part of the book is explaining the political split of America。 This part was recaptured by the author’s article on The Atlantic https://www。theatlantic。com/magazine/。。。。 According to the author， there are four major forces in today’s American politics。•tFree America。 This is the traditional “right-wing。” It came from the merge of economic libertarianism and cultural conservative。 American conservative reached its peak under the leadership of Goldwater and Reagan。 It keeps a precarious balance between the big business， which advocates free-market and fewer government regulations， and the working class， which buys into its conservative cultural value and self-reliance ideology。 Eventually， it became elitist and lost touch with the working class。 To regain its popular support， the conservatives link with the extreme rights and racists and slip to populism。•tReal America。 This is the white working class。 Their economic security has eroded over the decades， causing anxiety and resentment。 They hang on to white supremacy and xenophobia as ways to keep some sense of privilege。•tSmart America。 These are the traditional “left-wing。” They are highly educated and highly confident。 With meritocracy ideals， they believe that they deserve the rewards in wealth and social status。 They have a progressive view of the world but do not know how “normal people” live。 With increasing inequality， they drift further away from the mass and get trapped in the meritocracy as a privileged and struggling elite class。•tJustice America。 These are the younger generation。 Seeing their American dream broken， they are angry about inequality and take an active role in dismantling it。 The critical race theory was an academic doctrine。 It denies objective truth and facts。 Instead， it views the whole world as a power struggle。 Everything we have accepted and held as truths is just a tool of the Whites to maintain their power over others。 In the past decades， CRT has moved outside of the ivy towers and became a social movement， signaled by the Black Lives Matter demonstrations。 The younger generation is impatient about social injustice and takes dramatic actions to change it。 The actions include violence and “woke，” which suppresses other voices in social discussions。 However， these movements fail to bring real changes because they do little more than shouting and other symbolic actions。According to the author， none of the above forces offer a viable solution to our social problems。 They go to the extreme （as Real America and Justice America） or drift to the extreme （as Free America and Smart America）。 They are tearing the country apart and threatening the survival of democracy。The author proposed his own solutions， primarily small-scale reforms that address concrete problems instead of engaging in the war of ideology。The author puts the problem of inequality at the center of America’s ill today。 According to the author， the four dividing forces are all ill-conceived responses to the rising inequality。 And his solutions focus on inequality， as well。 However， the author does not address a crucial debate: equality vs。 equity。 In other words， are we focusing on giving everyone equal opportunities and let people’s free choices determine how they fare （equality）， or are we focusing on getting everyone the same output （equity）？ The “justice America” advocates equity。 They view any unequal outcome not as the result of personal or cultural choices but as the consequence of “privilege” and “power” against the group with the poorer outcome。 The author takes a negative view of such an ideology。 However， he also frowns upon meritocracy as a justification of inequality。 It seems that the author wants something in between。 Some of his solutions enable people to compete on equal footings， such as improving education。 Some others focus on the outcome， such as the social safety net。 However， without an explicit discussion of balancing equality and equity， we have no way to make policy decisions。 This， in my view， is a critical defect of the book。The author also focuses on economic （income and wealth） equality （or equity）。 However， the four fractions， as the author described， actually view the equality issue from different angles。 The “free America” wants passive freedom without Government intervention。 Their equality is on personal choices and personal rights。 The “real America” does not want to be deprived of social status and public voices just because they are less educated and more impoverished。 The “smart America” wants more power to shape society， supported by their sense of knowledgeability and rationality。 In their view， meritocracy not only justifies the economic rewards they receive but also entitles them to have more political power。 The “justice America” focuses almost single-mindedly on racial justice， ignoring economic and cultural factors。 It is difficult for the author to make headway in his proposal without offering a reconciliation among these understandings of equality。The book is refreshing in today’s political discourse because it strives to balance the various views instead of taking a “left” or “right” stand。 The author is a good writer。 His language is eloquent and powerful。 However， the book has too many repetitions。 It is a pleasure to read but is watered down for information content。 I think reading The Atlantic article cited above should be enough to get most of the benefit of the book。 。。。more
Fernando Rodriguez-Villa
，
George Packer is excellent as always。 The first 30 pages are predictable and not novel in their despair about the state of the country （and particularly Trump） but his framing of the "Four Americas" is incredibly cogent and exciting。 He is refreshingly even-handed in his critique of all four but ultimately optimistic and even patriotic。 George Packer is excellent as always。 The first 30 pages are predictable and not novel in their despair about the state of the country （and particularly Trump） but his framing of the "Four Americas" is incredibly cogent and exciting。 He is refreshingly even-handed in his critique of all four but ultimately optimistic and even patriotic。 。。。more
Matt Schiavenza
，
George Packer's Last Best Hope， by design， is more of a long pamphlet than a book — but that doesn't make it any less valuable。 And while it isn't the first book to examine the question of how things in America got so bad， and surely won't be the last， it'll likely be remembered as one of the best。The basic thesis of Packer's book is that decades of inequality shattered the American compact and split the country into warring tribes， which he defines as the "Four Americas。" "Free Americans" are d George Packer's Last Best Hope， by design， is more of a long pamphlet than a book — but that doesn't make it any less valuable。 And while it isn't the first book to examine the question of how things in America got so bad， and surely won't be the last， it'll likely be remembered as one of the best。The basic thesis of Packer's book is that decades of inequality shattered the American compact and split the country into warring tribes， which he defines as the "Four Americas。" "Free Americans" are defined as traditional Republicans， libertarian types who fetishize individualism and are wary of government intervention in the economy。 Think Mitt Romney。 "Real Americans" are blood-and-soil nationalists， suspicious of immigration and globalization， and disdainful of elites。 Think Sarah Palin。 "Smart Americans" are urban， upscale meritocrats， open-minded， liberal， proudly cosmopolitan， well-educated， and somewhat oblivious to their status as de facto aristocrats。 Think Barack Obama。 "Just Americans，" the newest group， are scornful of America's self-professed virtues， obsessed with race and gender， and view all of America's problems through the lens of domination of some groups over others。 Think AOC。Packer doesn't want to live in any of these worlds， and neither do I。 So what's the solution？ Here， he offers a list of policies that would fit pretty neatly into a Biden administration platform: building up the social welfare state， raising taxes， D。C。 statehood， investing in local journalism， etc。 These are all good suggestions。 But will they work？ One subject that deserves more attention is the role of technology， and how it has robbed Americans of a national consensus of the truth。 Reducing inequality is an urgent national priority。 But how do you move forward when a quarter to a third of Americans are convinced that the last election was stolen without any evidence？ Or that life-saving vaccines don't work？ The U。S。 has faced terrible divides before， but the sheer amount of misinformation available at one's fingertips today is a new challenge。 Packer doesn't have a great answer for this problem — possibly because one doesn't exist。But Packer's basic point exists: Americans are stuck with each other， like it or not。 Until we see each other as members of the same country – as fellow citizens， not just as consumers — we'll be stuck in this deep， worsening national malaise。 。。。more
Jeremy Neely
，
This short book fleshes out the assessment of our current predicament which appeared in The Atlantic。 I don’t quite agree with all of his assessment， but his framework of these four competing narratives of America—Free， Smart， Real， and Just—provide a compelling starting point。
Paul Horstmann
，
This read as a series of essays， which I suspect it is。 I really liked the "Faces of America" and Equalizers" sections， although I suspect there may be more then four faces of America。 The detail on Francis Perkins and Bayard Rustin was very good。 Mr。 Packer did a good job of identifying the problems in American society as evidenced by the previous administration and the January 6 event。 He does take a more "Smart America" view of this， but also tries to present how the other three groups think。 This read as a series of essays， which I suspect it is。 I really liked the "Faces of America" and Equalizers" sections， although I suspect there may be more then four faces of America。 The detail on Francis Perkins and Bayard Rustin was very good。 Mr。 Packer did a good job of identifying the problems in American society as evidenced by the previous administration and the January 6 event。 He does take a more "Smart America" view of this， but also tries to present how the other three groups think。 In the end， his emphasis on involvement in "local" government and communities to build a working relationship between all four groups is spot on。 We， Americans， must first need to be able to work with our neighbors （whatever their political persuasions） before we can expect to work together at the national level。 。。。more
Alan
，
Although his dissection of polarized America is both thoughtful and well written （lots to underline）， I demoted it to 3 stars because his solution is to me pie in the sky。 He looks to the "passion for equality" which he sees buried in our history to bind us together， and sees the "shared responsibility in worker organizations' as key to rekindling our capacity for self-governance。 While Tocqueville may have found that here 200 years ago （although blacks， and Native Americans were in his blind s Although his dissection of polarized America is both thoughtful and well written （lots to underline）， I demoted it to 3 stars because his solution is to me pie in the sky。 He looks to the "passion for equality" which he sees buried in our history to bind us together， and sees the "shared responsibility in worker organizations' as key to rekindling our capacity for self-governance。 While Tocqueville may have found that here 200 years ago （although blacks， and Native Americans were in his blind spot）， Packer's analysis runs squarely into capitalism。 Internet capitalism was supposed to be the path for more equality，， but instead it is the motor for unprecedented wealth and inequality。 Packer's promised land sounds alot like socialism， but he concludes that that is the word that must not be mentioned。 Joe McCarthy lives。！ 。。。more
TJS
，
This is the most insightful piece of sociology and political science I've read in many years， or maybe ever。Page after page of Mr。 Packer's succinct， jargon-free analysis brings forth one gem after another。In brief， Mr。 Packer identifies four Americas in place of Blue and Red America。 They are Smart America， Free America， Real America， and Just America。 Probably many of us operate in more than one of these Americas。 In their pure form， he finds all of them flawed if not intolerable， and fixes ou This is the most insightful piece of sociology and political science I've read in many years， or maybe ever。Page after page of Mr。 Packer's succinct， jargon-free analysis brings forth one gem after another。In brief， Mr。 Packer identifies four Americas in place of Blue and Red America。 They are Smart America， Free America， Real America， and Just America。 Probably many of us operate in more than one of these Americas。 In their pure form， he finds all of them flawed if not intolerable， and fixes our predicament in their inflexible presence and robust staying power。He rightly identifies the underlying problem as one of income and wealth inequalities。 It is asking too much of miserable wage slaves that they be a yeoman citizenry。 I myself can see their alienation in the Dodge Charger RTs that screech from one traffic light to the next and the jacked-up pick-up trucks with huge tires that stick out from fenders， their drivers indifferent to fires in California and melting permafrost in the Canadian Arctic。But how can one expect people to care about such things when too few have the time or inclination to read anything or think about anything， after they've staggered home from a hot day of roofing or auto-body-shop work in exchange for no benefits and a $26，000 salary？Meanwhile， the overlords in Free America and Smart America look down their noses at their less advantaged citizens and Just America calls them stupid and， if they're white， racist。 Indeed， Free， Smart， and Just America aren't likely to think of working stiffs as fellow citizens at all。 Hence President Trump。 And hence the next demagogue leader， who could well be worse。I discern a fifth category， which might be called Discarded America。 Prison inmates， the mentally ill and/or drug-addicted homeless， some housing-project residents， destitute and culturally adrift Native Americans， and the people wrote J。D。 Vance about in Hillbilly Elegy。After this tour de force， Mr。 Packer's remedies are a mixed bag。 Corporate monopolies are bad news and the Biden administration is right to take them on， but how do you break Google into multiple companies without losing the economies of scale and integration of tasks that it offers？ On the other hand， he has at least identified the problem， in punchy， direct prose that pleases。Extremely highly recommended。 I think a copy should be given to every high school and college student。 Amazon could do that and it would be a mere rounding error on its balance sheet。 。。。more
John_g
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Overall a good contribution to understanding America's differences。 But too little advice， and that advice is not for everyman but for the careers he wants to bolster: journalism， government， and activism。He organizes a complex subject into helpful themes （Free， Smart， Real， Just） that motivate different tribes。 These are not the only themes possible， our older USA also resembles more of Europe's tribes。 He helps understand the jargon except for some overloaded words: aristocracy is referenced i Overall a good contribution to understanding America's differences。 But too little advice， and that advice is not for everyman but for the careers he wants to bolster: journalism， government， and activism。He organizes a complex subject into helpful themes （Free， Smart， Real， Just） that motivate different tribes。 These are not the only themes possible， our older USA also resembles more of Europe's tribes。 He helps understand the jargon except for some overloaded words: aristocracy is referenced in de Toqueville's insights: "they will not endure aristocracy" then later he thinks "we are becoming an aristocracy， and an ungovernable one。"His few positive prescriptions are that factions should hold meetings， like other split societies: Israelis and Palestinians， Bosnian Serbs and Muslims， Northern Irish Protestants and Catholics。 We should have public service， and disconnect Twitter and FaceBook。 He shuns Town Halls because he wants to avoid contentious issues， but wants self-government， in some unstated way。His primary advice is negative about discontinuing mistaken efforts: don't segregate， don't antagonize neighbors。 He missed his first opportunity to give positive advice when discussing the MAGA signs of his neighbor。 He admits that "evasion of talk solves nothing" yet "We never talked about [the signs] and never will。 Being good neighbors makes the conversation impossible。 If we waded into policies and personalities we would soon find ourselves over our heads in the deep water of beliefs and values。" Must we limit ourselves to small talk？ I was surprised that former friends shut me out in a thin-skinned reaction to simple political questions。 Authors may help to suggest an agenda or a template for conversation。His villains include Reagan， Ayn Rand， Libertarians in Free America。 He reminds us that American populism since Andrew Jackson has been anti-intellectual。 He calls out bad advice from the Clintons， NYTimes Thomas Friedman。 He says "everyone standing with Trump [at CDC on March 6 2020] was complicit in a grand deception。 They were denying Americans a chance to protect themselves while they had time。" His heroes are Horace Greeley， Bayard Rustin， Frances Perkins whose chapter tells inspirational stories。 On a few things he's wrong:* He thinks "What professionals actually do to earn the large incomes that pay for their nice things is a mystery。" Maybe it's not as obvious as cooking or nursing， but specialists and computers build the complex systems used to run the modern world。* "imperishable as a carbon isotope" uses the wrong word。 Carbon-12 is stable， imperishable while carbon-14 is used to date rocks because it is radioactive and unstable with half-life of 5，730 years。 * He wonders why Ferguson MO 2014 started a movement， without recognizing the role of smart phone cameras。* He's right to say "the discomfort about protest in books by Negro authors comes because since the nineteenth century American literature has avoided profound moral searching。 It was too painful。” So why not suggest writing less painful books， simplified so you don't struggle with academic concepts， positive possibilities lined up against the negatives。 。。。more
Michael
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This book was generally good。 If you read the excerpt in the atlantic about Four Americas you'll get the general sense of this book。 Theres a strong opening， a good overview of 2020， the Four Americas （a bit expanded） and then a quasi-neoliberal-but-not-really critique of all Four Americas with a touch of critique of the meritocracy （with direct quotes from the Meritocracy Trap）。I think the smart diagnosis is that Smart America is starting to apply the "question everything but be super rational" This book was generally good。 If you read the excerpt in the atlantic about Four Americas you'll get the general sense of this book。 Theres a strong opening， a good overview of 2020， the Four Americas （a bit expanded） and then a quasi-neoliberal-but-not-really critique of all Four Americas with a touch of critique of the meritocracy （with direct quotes from the Meritocracy Trap）。I think the smart diagnosis is that Smart America is starting to apply the "question everything but be super rational" values we were raised with and its becoming a healthy critique。 Packer （like many other public intellectuals） articulates why a racial/identity politics won't work for everyone， instead returning to a politics that revolves around material and class。 I'm squarely in the Packer camp nowadays， and so are many of my peers who went to private schools and Ivies。 We know "there but for the grace of God go I"。 We know that we benefitted from dumb luck as much as hard work。 We know the meritocracy is killing us。 We know that the key insights of Just America are true， but we only accept some other their solutions。 Does any of it matter？ Will we be able to pivot？ Who knows。 。。。more
David
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My man GP does an admirable job channeling our national state of despair and wraps up by prescribing a dozen or so utterly improbable policy changes - federal instead of local funding of schools， require labor representation on corporate boards - that one wonders if all hope really is lost。
T。 Greg
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striking prose， thoughtful diagnosis， superficial treatment plan。
Curt Barnes
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One friend pronounced me a "glutton for punishment" when I told him i was reading this。 We both follow the country's decline with enough attention that reading most pundits' analysis is largely superfluous。 Consequently I may not finish this book; in my late 70s a mere understanding of our disastrous state of affairs may be a waste of what remains of my time。I was grateful for one supplement the book provides， however， that of fleshing out the background to the prevailing intolerance of the Left One friend pronounced me a "glutton for punishment" when I told him i was reading this。 We both follow the country's decline with enough attention that reading most pundits' analysis is largely superfluous。 Consequently I may not finish this book; in my late 70s a mere understanding of our disastrous state of affairs may be a waste of what remains of my time。I was grateful for one supplement the book provides， however， that of fleshing out the background to the prevailing intolerance of the Left， among the younger， and supposedly well educated， generations。 I confronted some of these programmed minds when I was teaching in the 90s。 Coming from reality-as-text postmodern literary theory， they found inconceivable that I could be capable of seeing any point of view beyond that of a white American male， and that any opinion I might have could be discounted if more was sought。 Packer discusses the underpinnings of this intolerance， the kind that made it an impossibility of most comedians to perform on college campuses without attracting pickets and demonstrators outraged at humor that was deemed "politically incorrect" （all that wasn't self-deprecatory， one assumes）。 Empathy in their eyes would thus be an impossibility and the non-specialized uses of a liberal arts education a cruel delusion。 It would seem the thousands of white marchers on behalf of George Floyd to be a denial of this Intolerant perspective; nevertheless Packer's inclusion of this group in the Just Americans category rings true and illuminates some of the self-righteousness discernible。 。。。more
Gary Schroeder
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I've turned to books to try and make sense of this particular moment of crisis in America。 Of those that I've found helpful， Packer's "Last Best Hope" may lead the list。 Instead of regurgitating most of what we already know （Trump bad， Fox News bad）， Packer synthesizes a new way to see the constituents of America。 He uses a simplified model by which we can view the political landscape， breaking U。S。 citizens into four basic groups: Fee America， Smart America， Real America， and Just America。 You' I've turned to books to try and make sense of this particular moment of crisis in America。 Of those that I've found helpful， Packer's "Last Best Hope" may lead the list。 Instead of regurgitating most of what we already know （Trump bad， Fox News bad）， Packer synthesizes a new way to see the constituents of America。 He uses a simplified model by which we can view the political landscape， breaking U。S。 citizens into four basic groups: Fee America， Smart America， Real America， and Just America。 You'll find yourself in one of these groups。 And before you start to feel too smug about where you fall， just know that each shares part of the blame for why we find ourselves in crisis。 Free America has a libertarian bent， their freedom at perhaps the cost of yours。 They believe in self-reliance and the virtue of the individual。 They enjoy government benefits but may not admit it to themselves。 Smart America believes in meritocracy， education， and professional credentials。 They've made it in our society and wonder why everyone else can't just be like them。 They have disdain for a lot of Free America。。。and also for Real America， the type of folks who were energized by Sarah Palin and her "straight shootin'" （if uninformed） style of talk。 Real America is more rural and hasn't had to encounter people who are different from themselves and see their traditional way of life disappearing。 They're tired of being made to feel "less than" by Smart America。 And then， there's Just America composed of people who crusade against microaggressions and champion the idea that words and language are dangerous weapons used to oppress their particular identity group。 They demand a new type of thought purity in the name of justice。 You and I are in there somewhere。 I highly recommend Packer's approach to seeing how we all fit in and where we have opportunities to address some of our greatest fissures。 。。。more
Susan McGilvray
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Wow。 Wish I could give this book many more stars！ Brilliant and illuminating- I think I understand now how America got to this point。 We have to do better and we have to do it together。
Nick Vantangoli
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Classic Packer。 This man gets it。 The nail is “hit on the head” throughout this breezy read。
Jim
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A lot of interesting premises， but little in the way of （actionable） solutions。
Todd N
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I’m rounding up from 3-1/2 stars。 I think I was a little disappointed in this slim book because I read his The Unwinding twice and loved it both times。But maybe it’s not fair to expect The Unwinding Part II， though I humbly suggest that this book would have benefited from a similar structure， with personal narratives epitomizing each of his four “America’s” and then the biographies later in the book sprinkled in the narratives。 Anyway， for such a small book it covers a lot。 It starts with a What I’m rounding up from 3-1/2 stars。 I think I was a little disappointed in this slim book because I read his The Unwinding twice and loved it both times。But maybe it’s not fair to expect The Unwinding Part II， though I humbly suggest that this book would have benefited from a similar structure， with personal narratives epitomizing each of his four “America’s” and then the biographies later in the book sprinkled in the narratives。 Anyway， for such a small book it covers a lot。 It starts with a What I Did During My Summer Pandemic check in and a quick tour of Bummer Year 2020 at a personal and national level。 I read Mr。 Packer’s magazine articles， so I know he can toss off this type of essay in his sleep。 Then things get more interesting and he posits four different Americas。 It was a matter of time before political commentary used the Gartner Quadrant。 But it’s great because Mr。 Parker makes about a zillion good points during this chapter。 The 4 Americas are the Cute One， the Smart One， the Quiet One， and the Happy-Go-Lucky One。 Oh wait， those are The Beatles。 Sorry， I haven’t slept in a while。 The Americas are Free （libertarian， Reagan-esque）， Real （blue collar， rural， Palin/Trump）， Smart （meritocratic， credential-obsessed）， and Just （BLM， CRT， etc）。He carefully explains each one’s point of view and then takes each one to task。 I felt like maybe Smart America gets off a bit too easy， since he and I （depending on my mood） are members But sitting here I can’t think of something he left out that I wish he had included。 He has a section on the press towards the end， and there he lobs a few marshmallows at them。 I found this a bit frustrating because I think media are responsible for at least several of the problems with each America he delineates。 （I have Matt Taibbi’s Hate Inc on my to read list。）Towards the end he has a few biographies of eminent but underappreciated Americans who embodied the best of the various Americas。 These were great but I feel like somehow they could have been better used in the book。Still recommended for a quick read and an interesting framing of America today。 At the very least find his articles in New Yorker and Atlantic and read those。 Search for [George Parker failed state]， which should get most of them。 But then again if America hadn’t screwed up its pandemic response so badly I wouldn’t be in Europe checking out places to emigrate to… 。。。more
Erik
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