The Unwinding

An Inner History of the New America

By: George Packer

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award, Nonfiction, 2013

A riveting examination of a nation in crisis, from one of the finest political journalists of our generation. American democracy is beset by a sense of crisis. Seismic shifts during a single generation have created a country of winners and losers, allowing unprecedented freedom while rending the social contract, driving the political system to the verge of breakdown, and setting citizens adrift to find new paths forward. In The Unwinding, George Packer, author of The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, tells the story of the United States over the past three decades in an utterly original way, with his characteristically sharp eye for detail and gift for weaving together complex narratives.

The Unwinding journeys through the lives of several Americans, including Dean Price, the son of tobacco farmers, who becomes an evangelist for a new economy in the rural South; Tammy Thomas, a factory worker in the Rust Belt trying to survive the collapse of her city; Jeff Connaughton, a Washington insider oscillating between political idealism and the lure of organized money; and Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire who questions the Internet’s significance and arrives at a radical vision of the future.

Packer interweaves these intimate stories with biographical sketches of the era’s leading public figures, from Newt Gingrich to Jay-Z, and collages made from newspaper headlines, advertising slogans, and song lyrics that capture the flow of events and their undercurrents. The Unwinding portrays a superpower in danger of coming apart at the seams, its elites no longer elite, its institutions no longer working, its ordinary people left to improvise their own schemes for success and salvation. Packer’s novelistic and kaleidoscopic history of the new America is his most ambitious work to date. Includes bonus content read by the author.

©2013 George Packer (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Compelling and enlightening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to friends (and enemies, too). Although I lived through all the decades described in the book, I only experienced my little corner of history. This book opened my eyes to the big picture. Not only that, in doing so, it helped me understand on a much more organic basis the connections between historical events and their effects on people outside (and inside) my community. In short, it educated me, in a most engrossing way, about how to think critically and the absolute importance of integrity in our social and political dealings. Unfortunately, that integrity is sorely lacking in contemporary life.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The structure. The book embodies the concept of unwinding threads from a tapestry.

Which character – as performed by Robert Fass – was your favorite?

I wouldn't think of the people described in the book as "characters" as they actually live/lived. They all are fascinating. However, because of similarities in background, temperament, and geography, I was drawn most strongly to Dean Price.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book has a cumulative effect. As it unwinds its stories, you are drawn in every more deeply. By the end of the book, that effect packs a wallop.

Any additional comments?

One of the best books I have ever read.

Unexpectedly Good

This book unfolds the last four decades in the United States using stories of people who lived it. They include the rich, the poor, the obscure, the famous, and the stories weave through the America experience in a way that explains where we've been and what has happened. Well-read.

Eye opening

Immediately listened to The Unwinding after hearing George Packer on NPR, amazing journalist and an excellent read, highly recommend for anyone interested in Learning more about why so many Americans have lost trust in government.

Excellent

What made the experience of listening to The Unwinding the most enjoyable?

This was not the type of book I thought I was buying and it took me a while to get used to it. It was worth that though. Excellently written. A terrific and objective perspective of how the decline of America and the crumbling of the American system is affecting average Americans.

Nicely woven threads of contemporary history

I really like the way Packer has attempted to make his points about how America has unwound. He has chosen to pick out of number of personalities and historical figures that we know and other folks we don't and wind them around each other in a cohesive contemporary history tale.

If you like history, you will like this book. However, if you are a memoir fan you will not because he skims the surface of people and there are personalities you may not like or agree with. Also, if you are fiction reader lover an only tolerate history you should pass.

I think that Robert Fass did a nice job narrating, his voice is pleasant enough. I think this book could have benefited from editing; maybe as much as 1/3 could be lopped off. With all that said, I do recommend this book to the history buff and for both liberals and conservatives.

Not suitable for audio

Any additional comments?

Some books translate well to audio format. This is not one of them. The "headlines" at the start of each chapter/section make absolutely no sense, and there is precious little continuity throughout. Further, the narration (or rather, the editing) is terrible. The gasping at the end of each phrase made me wonder if this was recorded by someone being held hostage in an audio booth with little oxygen. What a horrible distraction. That kind of thing can be edited out, if the publisher has any interest in the book being successful. Alas, i could not listen to one more gasp, and am returning this book.

Before We Knew, He knew

easy to follow the stories, never boring. prophetic and empathetic. the reader is great as well, does accents and voices which help to clarify who is speaking or thinking.

Thought Provoking

Any additional comments?

The story of how America has become unwound since 1960 was one that helped to open my eyes and focus my thoughts about how our country has changed in my lifetime.

deep look at American dysfunction

good but depressing book. chapters on newt Gingrich, Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth warren and Joe biden were the best.

Very well written and even a little scary.

Great presentation of the last few decades and the politics and economic issues Americans face.
America is on the decline, thus the unwinding. It's systematic and not caused by one party or person. But it is happening. I was very impressed with the many and diverse people the author uses to make his point. Every class and race is represented. We are all affected.

I didn't feel that it was biased, which I appreciate. Very impressive style of writing!

An author to watch!