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The Wrath to Come

Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells

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The Wrath to Come

By: Sarah Churchwell
Narrated by: Sarah Churchwell
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The history America never wanted you to read.
'The narrative took my breath away' Philippe Sands
'An extraordinarily and shockingly powerful read' Peter Frankopan
'One of the must-reads of the year' Suzannah Lipscomb
'Brilliant and provocative' Gavin Esler

Sarah Churchwell examines one of the most enduringly popular stories of all time, Gone with the Wind, to help explain the divisions ripping the United States apart today. Separating fact from fiction, she shows how histories of mythmaking have informed America's racial and gender politics, the controversies over Confederate statues, the resurgence of white nationalism, the Black Lives Matter movement, the enduring power of the American Dream, and the violence of Trumpism.

Gone with the Wind was an instant bestseller when it was published in 1936; its film version became the most successful Hollywood film of all time. Today the story's racism is again a subject of controversy, but it was just as controversial in the 1930s, foreshadowing today's debates over race and American fascism. In The Wrath to Come, Sarah Churchwell charts an extraordinary journey through 160 years of American denialism. From the Lost Cause to the romances behind the Ku Klux Klan, from the invention of the 'ideal' slave plantation to the erasure of interwar fascism, Churchwell shows what happens when we do violence to history, as collective denial turns fictions into lies, and lies into a vicious reality.©2022 Sarah Churchwell (P)2022 Head of Zeus Americas Freedom & Security Literary History & Criticism Politics & Government State & Local United States World Literature Social justice Entertainment Socialism Rage
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The actions of the USA today explained by the american fairy stories and mythology. Why have we not seen it before!

Under our noses

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I have today completed Sahra Churchwell's reading of her own book and I am still processing the hypothesis that the book presents
However, what I am already certain of is that this is one of the most impactful and thought provoking books I have read, in any topic.
As a non-American I have long struggled, despite a good deal of reading, to understand many of the apparent schisms and dislocations in American society.
This book provides a compelling thesis as to why these dislocations exist.
Ms. Churchwell's thesis may not be perfect, but it certainly deserves to be read, understood and debated.

Extremely thought provoking

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It’s always a good idea to look back to literature from history through a modern lens and this book is a particularly good example of that. I really enjoyed the social history as well as the peeling back of the layers that have been added to the excuses that all ‘democracies’ hide behind. The distasteful and disturbing history of the Southern States of America should be held to account and this book weaves its story very well.

Thought provoking and interesting

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Brilliant expose of a well-loved and enduring love story. There’s so much more to this classic novel than I first thought.

Recommended

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I really enjoyed this book, drawing parallels between Gone With The Wind, KKK, and American fascism over the last 150 years. Recommended.

Evocative and thought provoking

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