I’m scared to write down these words because I’m afraid I’m not familiar with American politics enough to fully appreciate the book.
It’s really good that media was just one of the many aspects discussed in the book. The role of media in polarization has grown popular in recent years, but diving deep into the American government structure is what makes this book worth a read. The model of identity politics, supported by reliable research results in human psychology, was very convincing as well.
(I was a bit skeptical before picking up the book because Ezra Klein is a journalist and the last time I read a journalist’s book I didn’t enjoy it so much. But this book blew me away.) It is carefully researched and considered; his arguments were well-articulated and objective. Both parties were criticized and analyzed, though some might find the book slightly leaning to the left.
I certainly learned from this book a lot of lessons in American history, politics, and human psychology. I leaned left and opened my mind so much that it cracked and everything spilled all over the place. I used to quickly label people who express conservative opinions with horrible nouns like racists, sexists, science deniers. How could I think any different when almost all conservative voices on the media are exactly these types? The extremists get the most attention, but a moderate conservative isn’t at all that bad. Recently I have been moderating myself and open up for more conservative opinions. This book gave me more awareness of the big picture, the reasons behind liberal and conservative movement. Highly recommend for those seeking sanity in a divisive world, all the same for political junkies or novices.