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

John Nyunt: I have lived through and experienced several of the moments described in book. Cruelty is the point in our society as the hegemonic system of white supremacy is pervasive. When Joe Biden states that this is not America when racist and cruel statements are made, he is wrong, this is exactly who we are however I also believe there are good people trying to create social change. Great book, stay informed, fight ignorance, bigotry and apathy.

United States on Aug 18, 2023

Kindle Customer: The book is a collection of essays published in the Atlantic. It gets a bit repetitive at points, but it's thesis that Donald Trump is both a cause and a symptom of our nation's darker tendencies is convincing. The author's discussion of Trump's political relations with American Jews was, in my mind, particularly insightful. If you are a fan of Trump you will take issue with much of what is said in this book, but you will have a difficult time refuting it.

United States on Jun 19, 2023

ThreadMad: The ink on the cover started coming off after one day, the paper is so thin I can almost read the print on the back. Gives me a headache after a few pages and I have to stop reading. Sad for such great content.

United States on Mar 27, 2023

Weagle: Normally, a book of reprinted columns might come across as stale – especially in the realm of politics. Credit Serwer for choosing to write on topics that, sadly, remain relevant today: white nationalism, incivility, and confrontations over monuments or police or COVID response.

Although most of these columns were written during the last administration, it’s less about Trump and more about the roiling undercurrent of racism that he tapped into and validated. Serwer’s lucid analysis and insightful deconstruction of these topics cut to the underlying attitudes that prop up so much of the bitterness and passion surrounding dialogue today – much of it a proxy for racial intolerence. Before each section, Serwer includes a few pages reflecting on the subject with a perspective benefitting from the elapsed time since he first wrote it. The Cruelty is the Point skillfully illuminates the things a multiracial society must confront before it can truly be united.

United States on Sep 17, 2021

Michael Saltzman: TLDR: This collection of essays isn't really about Trump, it's about the forces that shape American politics and culture, and it exposes this not through simple opinion but through deep historical analysis. It's smart, poignant, surprisingly beautiful at moments, and absolutely necessary.

I finished the book in a single day and honestly cannot praise it enough. This collection of essays (some of which you may have read in previous publication - but there is a TON of new material too) perfectly encapsulate and contextualize the last 5 years of American history. Serwer reserves waxing philosophy or personal opinion for only the most critical moments to drive home an idea; instead what you get here are a collection of essays analyzing history and drawing a clear line between the oft-forgotten, almost always blurred and polished, past to our present.

Although the book is framed as being about "Trump's America" this book isn't really about Trump or his administration at its core or even his voters at its core. It's about understanding the primary currents that have directed American culture and politics since our country's founding. And he does so with impressive clarity...

United States on Jun 30, 2021