Divided Politics, Divided Nation

Darrell M. West is vice president of the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution and taught for many years at Brown University. He is the author of The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation; Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century; and Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust.

At a time of widespread polarization, it is vital to understand why liberals and conservatives mistrust one another. Darrell West draws on his personal history of growing up in a conservative community and teaching in the Ivy League to write a heartfelt account of America's tribes and how we might bring them back together. Readers will gain tremendous understanding of contemporary divisions from the entertaining stories he tells." - George Stephanopoulos, ABC News"A riveting account, part memoir and part analysis, that explains how we descended into our current social and political quagmire and gives helpful suggestions for finding our way out." - Bart Ehrman, James A Gray Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"What divides our nation goes much deeper than politics. Brookings Institution scholar Darrell West looks at polarization from the high altitude of elite academia, and the ground-level perspective of his own life, which began in a conservative, deeply religious rural community. Along the way, he discovers surprising insights about life in conservative and liberal America." - Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post"A valued, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to our current and on-going political discussion with respect to the polarization of the electorate and its implications for the survival of our American style democracy." - Midwest Book Review"Lots of Americans correctly worry about deepening polarization in our politics, but few seem to know what to do about it. Darrell West is an exception; he's lived in both Red and Blue worlds, understands both, and sprinkles his book with very personal stories that enliven his narrative. West first thoughtfully analyzes how we got to such a disturbing divide and then makes some useful suggestions for dealing with it. It's time to think carefully and map out a way forward. Darrell West has already begun that cartography in this perceptive, readable volume." - Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and professor of Politics at the University of Virginia

• Contents:Preface: Upheaval1. Mistrust:The Reagan RevolutionThe Clinton PeriodBush and the War on TerrorThe Obama YearsShock and Awe under Trump2. Economic Frustrations:The Decline of AgricultureLost Manufacturing JobsWage Stagnation and InequalityA Rise in Public Anger3. The Decline of OpportunityGrowing Up PoorAdvancement through EducationObstacles for the Current GenerationDestruction of the American Dream4. Identity PoliticsConservative TribalismLiberal TribalismPower TribalismMistrusting Other Tribes5. Religious TensionsFundamentalismSecularizationReligious Exemptions6. The Backlash againstGlobalization and ImmigrationOpening BordersCross-Cultural TensionsTough EnforcementUltranationalism7. Undue InfluenceOvert CorruptionCollege AdmissionsPhilanthropy8. Overcoming HyperconflictWidespread PolarizationDiverging IdentitiesMistrust and IntoleranceOpponents as EnemiesPolitical SortingThe Decline of FactsReconciling DifferencesTake a Conservative or Liberal to LunchAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex