The End Of America

If dissent is in fact patriotic, there is no greater patriot than Naomi Wolf.

All of the bravado and the accolades are deserved of course. Her book is an alarm bell, meant to stir a sense of unease in the reader. The historical comparisons that Wolf highlights are drastic yes, but not entirely unjustified.

It reads like a manual for how to deconstruct a democracy, install a dictatorship, and subvert the will—and free will—of the people. The point, of course, is that the United States has taken several steps in that direction over the last few years. Things like establishing secret prisons (Guantanamo), spying on average citizens (FISA), and restricting or intimidating the press (Long Island’s very own Peter King calling the New York Times treasonous) were tactics many thought ended in 1940’s Germany.

And Wolf is not exactly a voice that is easily ignored. She travels the country giving similar presentations to the one she delivered here, speaking at rallies, book clubs, protests, and anywhere else with a stage and microphone. Nor is she a voice that will be lessened under an Obama administration. Yes the Bush presidency was responsible for enacting many of these policies, but the onus is as much on Obama to dismantle them as on his predecessor who introduced them.

If a fantastical novel or absorbing biography is what you’re looking for, best look elsewhere. But The End of America is second to none for books that captivate, inspire and motivate.