Praise for The Midnight Kingdom
“An episodic jeremiad in the best tradition of that word, The Midnight Kingdom is warning and lament, a people’s history of apocalypse in the mind and actions of Western empire from the Great Fire of Rome to the Trumpocene. In print and by podcast, Jared Yates Sexton has been steadily expanding his deep inquiry into the ideas that informed his own fundamentalist roots and now shape today’s Christian nationalist attack on the democratic dream. This book is Sexton’s most ambitious yet, powered by cool anger but girded with the hope that even at this late hour gives his work its beautiful strength.”—Jeff Sharlet, bestselling author of The Family and The Undertow
“Jared Yates Sexton is indispensable to understanding our tumultuous political era. He does not shy away from America’s dark history, but instead delves into the shadows in order to find the light. The Midnight Kingdom is yet another vital entry in his ongoing chronicle of a West in disarray and decline.”—Sarah Kendzior, author of They Knew: How A Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent
“Jared Yates Sexton is a modern day Cassandra who uses his considerable intellect, historical knowledge, and effective writing skills to illuminate, shake, warn, and wake up the majority to the looming threats attacking our fledgling democracy. In his latest book The Midnight Kingdom Sexton connects the dots, names and names, and reveals how corrupt gatekeepers of religious, political, and economic institutions have continued to abuse wealth, white supremacy, and revisionist narratives to maintain systems of inequity and oppression. With this book, however, the majority will have the knowledge and righteous fury to finally rise up and fight back.”—Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back To Where You Came From
“If power is built and sustained through storytelling—something Jared Yates Sexton argues decisively in this sweeping and empathetic history—then Sexton has proved himself a worthy adversary of those who would wish to pass off American mythology for reality. Digging deep into American stories, rife with half-truths and outright inventions, Sexton’s incisive history not only offers a more accurate vision into our complex past—it just may be a first step toward a future no longer dominated by prejudice, paranoia, and fear.”—Jess McHugh, author of Americanon
“A diffuse but sharp argument against the countless dangers of too much belief in the unproven and unseen.”—Kirkus
“The Midnight Kingdom is a gripping read that flirts with but never gives in to cynicism. Solid writing that dives into generous detail without ever over-explaining bolsters Sexton’s well-researched appeal.”—New York Journal of Books
“As evidenced by more than 1,000 endnotes, Sexton’s research in both primary and secondary sources is prodigious. In crisp and efficient prose, he discourses on subjects as diverse as the power of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, the age of colonialism, or 20th-century American politics. His opinions will elicit enthusiastic assent from some readers and vigorous disagreement from others.”—Shelf Awareness
“Sexton, author of American Rule and cohost of The Muckrake political podcast, traces the forces roiling American politics…the context he delivers will enrich the discussion.”—Booklist
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