The People, No

A Brief History of Anti-Populism

The People, No
Thomas Frank
RRP:
NZ$ 42.99
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NZ$ 32.24
Paperback
h211 x 137mm - 336pg
17 Aug 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781250798480
Out Of Stock
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In this latest demystification of American political life, Thomas Frank shows that populism, far from being the problem of our time, is the cure for what ails us. Tracing the history of this mass democratic movement through the titanic social struggles of the last century, he reveals a force for enlightenment and liberation - indeed, the foundation of American democracy itself, of its promise of a decent life for all. No less important, Frank dissects the purpose of the elite groups that have opposed populism over the decades - the ones who say "the people, no. " Following the arc of anti-populism from the frantic days of the 1890s to just last week, Frank describes how its proponents have repeatedly cast hopeful democratic movements in the same harsh light, demonising them with the same fears, defaming them with the same insults. In a claim that is sure to be controversial, Frank shows how anti-populism has actually changed sides, shifting from a doctrine of conservative wealth in the 1890s to the faith of the liberal elite today. Rarely does a work of history contain startling implications for the present, but in The People, No Frank pulls off that explosive effect by showing us that everything we think we know about populism is wrong. The People, No sounds a cautionary note for our time, a warning against the pundits who tell us to fear the plain people, to keep to the path of centrist complacency, to let the experts handle our lives and our future.
Brilliantly written, eye-opening . . . Frank is the ideal public intellectual to grapple with the duality of populism. . . . Readers come away knowing that at its heart, populism means just one thing: This land was made for you and me. --The Washington Post Frank describes an indigenous radical tradition that descends from Jefferson and Paine and stretches forward to Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. . . . Compelling. --The New York Times Book ReviewRousing . . . central to the challenge of our times . . . A call to arms against the plutocratic elites of both America' s main parties . . . Frank' s real strength lies in his energetic optimism. --Financial TimesTom Frank does what few writers today are capable of doing--he criticizes his own side. --Wall Street Journal Deserves your attention . . . The People, No describes meticulously how over the last 120 years, reigning elites--whether conservative, liberal, or progressive--have regularly attacked populists with the same falsehoods . . . Welcome. --ForbesA terrific book . . . damning . . . eloquently-argued . . . The People, No documents the furious elite propaganda response to bottom-up political movements that has recurred in uncannily similar fashion at key moments across nearly a century and a half of American history, and is firing with particular venom today. --Matt Taibbi Brilliant . . . grand . . . an urgent plea to liberals and radicals alike to embrace a left populism and universalism--or keep on losing. --JacobinAn illuminating book, the best one I' ve read about the sound and fury of America' s 2020 Election campaign. --Lewis H. Lapham A real contribution . . . Frank looks forward to the day when the ' liberal' elite and right-leaning populists exhaust themselves--and the Democratic Party reclaims its identity as the voice of workers. --City JournalSmart . . . Thomas Frank is one of the few great American political writers, and his new book The People, No is one ofhis best, if not his most urgent and pressing. . . . We need more Thomas Franks. --Splice TodayProvocative . . . powerful . . . Frank has delivered a defiant challenge to the antipopulist liberals more infatuated with the advice of experts and their own moral virtues than mobilizing ordinary Americans on the basis of progressive values. --The ProgressivePopulism is not just an old American way of doing politics, the author argues, but fundamentally a progressive one as well. . . convincing . . . an eminently readable contribution to political discourse. --Kirkus Reviews Frank blends diligent research with well-placed snark to keep readers turning the pages. Liberals will be outraged, enlightened, and entertained. --Publishers WeeklyFrank brilliantly places populism in the context of seminal historic events. . . . His provocative conclusions, about elites and the people, turn common assumptions upside down--all the better for making readers think. --Booklist (starred review) With his usual verve, Frank skewers the elite voices of condescension that vilify the egalitarian and democratic strivings of working people. In so doing, he offers a passionate defense of populism, which he reveals as a deep and wide political tradition that remains as essential as ever for the hopes of a more just and equitable society. " --Charles Postel, author of Equality: An American Dilemma, 1866-1896
Thomas Frank is the author of Listen, Liberal, Pity the Billionaire, The Wrecking Crew, and What' s the Matter with Kansas? A former columnist for The Wall Street Journal and Harper' s, Frank is the founding editor of The Baffler and writes regularly for The Guardian. He lives outside Washington, D. C.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781250798480
Published: 17 Aug 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Picador USA
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Format: Paperback
Height: 211mm
Width: 137mm
Spine: 21mm
Pages: 336

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