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  • The Next Civil War

  • Dispatches from the American Future
  • Written by: Stephen Marche
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (62 ratings)

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The Next Civil War

Written by: Stephen Marche
Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
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Publisher's Summary

“Should be required reading for anyone interested in preserving our 246-year experiment in self-government.” —The New York Times Book Review * “Well researched and eloquently presented.” —The Atlantic * “Delivers Cormac McCarthy-worthy drama; while the nonfictional asides imbue that drama with the authority of documentary.” —The New York Times Book Review

A celebrated journalist takes a fiercely divided America and imagines five chilling scenarios that lead to its collapse, based on in-depth interviews with experts of all kinds.

The United States is coming to an end. The only question is how.

On a small two-lane bridge in a rural county that loathes the federal government, the US Army uses lethal force to end a standoff with hard-right anti-government patriots. Inside an ordinary diner, a disaffected young man with a handgun takes aim at the American president stepping in for an impromptu photo-op, and a bullet splits the hyper-partisan country into violently opposed mourners and revelers. In New York City, a Category 2 hurricane plunges entire neighborhoods underwater and creates millions of refugees overnight—a blow that comes on the heels of a financial crash and years of catastrophic droughts—and tips America over the edge into ruin.

These nightmarish scenarios are just three of the five possibilities most likely to spark devastating chaos in the United States that are brought to life in The Next Civil War, a chilling and deeply researched work of speculative nonfiction. Drawing upon sophisticated predictive models and nearly two hundred interviews with experts—civil war scholars, military leaders, law enforcement officials, secret service agents, agricultural specialists, environmentalists, war historians, and political scientists—journalist Stephen Marche predicts the terrifying future collapse that so many of us do not want to see unfolding in front of our eyes. Marche has spoken with soldiers and counterinsurgency experts about what it would take to control the population of the United States, and the battle plans for the next civil war have already been drawn up. Not by novelists, but by colonels.

No matter your political leaning, most of us can sense that America is barreling toward catastrophe—of one kind or another. Relevant and revelatory, The Next Civil War plainly breaks down the looming threats to America and is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of its people, its land, and its government.

©2022 Stephen Marche. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about The Next Civil War

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Excellent Warning

Well researched and presented. This book lays out the problems facing the US and explains the problems succinctly. Americans and Canadians of any stripe should consider this book a pressing warning for unity.

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  • Rv
  • 2022-05-18

Good read

there is no denying that there is an alt right in America, placed in segments of its geographic construction that has white nationalists (even though I do believe it does not make up the majority of America). The author was great at dissecting the alt right. I think he really played down the effects of antifa and BLM though. I would say this is a more left leaning book, still good for some insights on the problems with the right, for right wing readers. the literature does have a centrist taste. The book is overall worth the 1 credit.

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Pretty Scary Future

What the author says appears to be happening.....even more so since his book was written. Not only is the dissention readily visible in the US, but now happening in other countries even in Canada. The "right" against the "left" with extreme factions on either side. So much hate fuels both sides

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Good Political Commentary

This is a good book if you are interested in political commentary. The author does a nice job of outlining the concerning nature of partisan politics in the United States.

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Thought provoking

While many may see the scenario described by Stephen Marche as outlandish or far fetched, I don’t believe that is the point. America is approaching a crossroads in political ideology. How Americans navigate this period will set the stage for future generations. The American ideal is not dead. But, as with how it managed the Great Depression, World War 2, and Vietnam, new approaches to leadership will need to emerge to guide the nation forward.

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A movie awaits!

Loved this book, made me think about the political landscape of the US and understand about its development.

This would make a great movie … realistic fiction.

DPAW

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  • 2022-07-27

sometimes you need an outside view point

I was hesitant with this book as I thought it was too much hyperbole with the certainty of civil war. But after getting into it, i think the author makes some strong arguments and overall I really think it is a good book. I thought dispatch four ran a bit long, but the book ended well. He was very honest and insightful in the end about the option of peaceful dissolution of the US due to irreconcilable differences. He also makes strong arguments against the worship of the 200 year old constitution and that the basis of the political system is very out of date and cannot deal with the need to make fundamental changes to itself. Recommended listening!

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Excellent book - well worth reading.

Marche has written an honest comprehensive commentary on the American situation. While at times the totality of the information (a lot to absorb I will listen again) presented - although accurate - seems almost overwhelming, Marche concludes with thought-provoking and hopeful points. Very timely. Well worth the time spent.

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