Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 5 reviews on
New York Times bestselling author and senator Ben Sasse delivers an intimate and urgent assessment of the existential political crisis facing our nation.
Something is wrong. We all know it. American life expectancy is declining for a third straight year. Birth rates are dropping. Nearly half of us think the other political party isn't just wrong; they're evil. We're the richest country in history, but we've never been more pessimistic. What's causing the despair?
In Them, bestselling author and U.S. senator Ben Sasse argues that our crisis isn't really about politics. It's that we're so lonely we can't see straight--and it bubbles out as anger. Local communities are collapsing. Across the nation, little leagues are disappearing, Rotary clubs are dwindling, and in all likelihood, we don't know the neighbor two doors down. Work isn't what we'd hoped: less certainty, few lifelong coworkers, shallow purpose. Stable families and enduring friendships--life's fundamental pillars--are in statistical freefall.
As traditional tribes of place evaporate, we rally against common enemies so we can feel part of a team. No institutions command widespread public trust, enabling foreign intelligence agencies to use technology to pick the scabs on our toxic divisions. We're in danger of half of us believing different facts than the other half, and the digital revolution throws gas on the fire.
There's a path forward--but reversing our decline requires something radical: a rediscovery of real places and human-to-human relationships. Even as technology nudges us to become rootless, Sasse shows how only a recovery of rootedness can heal our lonely souls. America wants you to be happy, but more urgently, America needs you to love your neighbor and connect with your community. Fixing what's wrong with the country depends on it.
Carlos Lozada is a journalist, critic and author.
Among the hundreds of books I read in my years as a critic, only three felt so paralyzing pointless that, upon reaching the end, I found I had nothing to say. One of those was “THEM: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal” by Senator Ben Sasse. My column: https://t.co/QP0HVptFXd
The economics and ecology of work, in a time of accelerating uncertainty in our lives, society, and business. Sign up for newsletter: https://t.co/6xF1ZHcKG8
The inverse of your problem is not its solution. It’s just another way of phrasing the same problem. | Carlos Lozada doesn't think much of Ben Sasse's book, *Them* https://t.co/Crr0s92vfU
Everything is politics. Download our app & subscribe to our newsletter. 📩 info@therecount.com
Outgoing Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) tries to play off massive student protests during his introductory press conference at University of Florida, where he will likely be the next president: “They have good rhythm, you gotta give them that.” https://t.co/K5ukbvEurt