American Nightmare ― The Challenge of U.s. Authoritarianism

A far-ranging critique of the rise of authoritarianism and white nationalism in the US and the consequences for democracy.

In this searing critique of the Trump presidency and the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., Henry Giroux asks, How have we arrived here, and what can be done? In a discussion of events that ranges from the Administration's ongoing attempts to repeal Obamacare and its anti-immigration policies and travel bans, to the normalization of a culture of cruelty and the "weaponization of ignorance," Giroux details the urgency of our current crisis.

Giroux explores the political dystopias—those of recent history and those depicted in some of the classics of Western literature—that result when authoritarian forces outmaneuver accountability. He argues that only through increased civic investment in multicultural democracy, education, and resistance can we hope to push back the ominous convergence of white nationalism and elite economic interests.

Praise for American Nightmare & Henry A. Giroux:

"In this current era of corporate media misdirection and misinformation . . . Henry Giroux is one of the few great political voices of today, with powerful insight into the truth. Dr. Giroux is defiantly explaining, against the grain, what's REALLY going on right now, and doing so quite undeniably. Simply put, the ideas he brings forth are a beacon that need to be seen and heard and understood in order for the world to progress."—Julian Casablancas, lead vocalist for The Strokes

"In this passionately argued volume, Henry Giroux, long known for his critical commentaries on the de-democratization of the U.S.A., on its rising inequ(al)ity and neoliberal excesses, reflects very thoughtfully on the specter of Trump’s America: on its violence, cruelty, and incivility, its burgeoning authoritarianism, its inexorable edging toward a Grave Neo World: in short, a rising specter that demands to be countered at all cost if the U.S. is to be rescued from itself.”—John Comaroff, Professor of African and African American Studies and of Anthropology, Harvard University

"Henry Giroux has become the Left's most articulate and insightful critic of America's distorted political life, highlighting its authoritarian turn and the political illiteracy that our culture fosters and that the media helps channel into racism, the worship of money and power, and an ethos of survival-of-the-fittest that produces the foundation for renewed fascistic movements."—Tikkun Magazine

"[Giroux's book] America at War with Itself is a richly textured exposition that evaluates and interrelates political history and present day developments here and abroad."—Chicago Life Magazine (distributed by the Sunday New York Times)

Henry A. Girouxis a world-renowned educator, author and public intellectual. Giroux holds the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest, and is the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy. Among most recent books are America at War with Itself (City Lights, 2016); Disposable Futures: The Seduction of Violence in the Age of Spectacle with Brad Evans (City Lights 2015); The Violence of Organized Forgetting (City Lights 2014); Zombie Politics and Culture in the Age of Casino Capitalism (Peter Lang, 2011); On Critical Pedagogy (Continuum, 2011); Education and the Crisis of Public Values (Peter Lang 2012); Twilight of the Social: Resurgent Publics in an Age of Disposability (Paradigm Publishers, 2012);Disposable Youth (Routledge 2012); Youth in Revolt (Paradigm, 2013); America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth (Monthly Review Press, 2013). A prolific writer and political commentator, he writes regularly for Truthout and serves on their board of directors. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with his wife, Dr. Susan Searls Giroux.

George Yancy is Professor of Philosophy at Emory University. He is the author, editor and co-editor of over 18 books. He has authored numerous scholarly articles and chapters. He is known for his influential essays and interviews in the New York Times' philosophy column, The Stone.