American Fascists

The Christian Right and the War on America

De: Chris Hedges, Eunice Wong

Narrado por: Chris Hedges, Eunice Wong

Twenty-five years ago, when Pat Robertson and other televangelists first spoke of the United States being a Christian nation that would build a global Christian empire, it was hard to take such hyperbolic rhetoric seriously. Today, such language no longer sounds like hyperbole but poses, instead, a very real threat to our freedoms and our way of life. In American Fascists, the Christian Right's religious legitimacy is challenged, and Hedges argues that, at its core, it is a mass movement fueled by unbridled nationalism and a hatred for the open society.

Hedges, who grew up in rural parishes in upstate New York, where his father was a Presbyterian pastor, attacks the movement as someone steeped in the Bible and Christian tradition. He points to the hundreds of senators and members of Congress who have earned between 80 and 100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian Right advocacy groups as one of many signs that the movement is burrowing deep inside the American government in order to subvert it.

The movement's call to dismantle the wall between church and state, and the intolerance it preaches against all who do not conform to its warped vision of a Christian America, are pumped into tens of millions of American homes through Christian television and radio stations, and are reinforced through the curriculum of Christian schools. The movement's yearning for apocalyptic violence and its assault on dispassionate, intellectual inquiry are laying the foundation for a new, frightening America.

©2007 Chris Hedges and Eunice Wong (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This urgent book forcefully illuminates what many across the political spectrum will recognize as a serious and growing threat to the very concept and practice of an open society." ( Publishers Weekly)

Timely and Crucial Reading

I just finished this astonishing audiobook. I found it simultaneously learned and erudite, accessible and populist. The text is exceedingly well-written and entertaining, and the readers do a great job of pacing and intonation.
When I picked it up, I thought the title was probably typically an exaggeration--but nothing doing. Chris Hedges makes his case, and makes it well, that we are facing an imminent danger of losing our open society and plunging into a fascist state. Do yourself a favor and read or listen to this book. I think you'll be outraged, informed and moved to action. I know I was.

A thoughtful analysis

I believe this book is a thoughtful analysis of one of the greatest threats to our democracy.

I recently asked a holocaust survivor if he saw any similarities between what is going on in America today compared to Fascist Europe of the late 1930s. He said there is NO difference.

Listen to first & last chapters, skip the rest.

I'm impressed at 15 years later and this analogy is still spot-on. the emotional bladder was painful and annoying to endure. And did not bring much context to the final summary. disappears to be a good primer however and further reading it should be done, naturally.

prophecy?

It's like looking into the past and seeing that Hedges was right. really fascinating look at a machine that it took me forever to get out of.

Knowledge is strength

Listen to the first chapter. If the definition of fascism resonates with you I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Better than I expected

This book tells part of the story of that group of Americans who would trash democracy for an ISIS style Christian theocracy. Absent political power, this group of zealots is a bunch of cooks on the outside raging against the machine. After Trump used this groups' organizational structure as the foundation for his government, this bunch of cooks is now a real threat to the survival of American democracy. Go to an evangelical fundamentalist mega church in a town near you and listen to the message. Then ask yourself if that's the country you want to live in. This bunch needs to be understood, countered and defeated. They crave power and the opportunity to enact their end times ideology. If you think you're safe behind the protections of the constitution, think again.
This book was more engaging and enlightening thatn I expected. It told a familiar story in an interesting way and I learned more than I thought I would. The message to liberals to stop tolerating the intolerable seems spot on. Tolerating those who yearn for the destruction of your world is a fools errand. If a thousand dedicated Germans had stood up to the new Nazi party in the 1920's, history could have been different...

Great Book. Ok Narration.

Enjoyed the book generally, but some of the narration was jarring, rising sharply in volume and testing the quality of the recording.

a must read/listen

pretty spot about American politics and it was written like, 12 years ago. highly recommend.

Prescient insight into an important minority

More than a decade later the book is invaluable for understanding critical aspects of current social trends.

spot on!

The authors have put into words and context, thoughts, feelings and observations I have had since childhood but have never been able to successfully put into words myself.