TX political event attacking the idea of a mixed race This book revealed historical accounts of the Native Americans and Black slavery that is an important part of our past. The truth can be overwhelmingly depressing This book entails a lot of information that can hit hard with reality that made me pause with my own questions How do we fight back for public education and free speech at universities The author said American style liberal arts colleges do not exist in authoritarian countries. Stanley was raised with ancestors who suffered greatly from Hitler and Stalin He has spent years studying the effects of an authoritarian government and has presented a solid analysis of his findings in this book He provides evidence of what s happening in America and helps the reader to understand how we are moving in a direction of Christianity in southern schools and erasing parts of history that can later be manipulated. The author has continued the work of his late father.

From Yale professor and bestselling author of How Fascism Works a searing confrontation with the authoritarian right s efforts to annihilate public education silence teachers and use taxpayer money to undo a century of work to advance social justice action on race gender sexuality and class. Combining historical research with an in depth analysis of our modern political landscape Erasing History issues a dire warning for America and the the worst fascist movements of humanity s past began in schools the same place so many of today s right wing political parties have trained their most vicious attacks Donald Trump Speaker Mike Johnson Ron DeSantis Vivek Ramaswamy Vladimir Putin Turkey s Recip Erdogan and Argentina s Javier Milei have all reached the same if you want to roll back the clock on civil rights equity and inclusion a great place to start is in our schools Yale professor Jason Stanley exposes the true danger of the right s tactics and traces their inspirations and funding back to some of the most dangerous ideas of human history He shows that hearts and minds are won in our elementary schools high schools and universities and that governments are currently ill prepared to do the work of uprooting fascist policies being foisted upon our children through school boards in courtrooms and in the boardrooms of the companies trusted to train our teachers and create the materials they ll share with their students Deeply informed and urgently needed this book is a vibrant call to action for lovers of democracy worldwide Erasing History How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the FutureJason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University He is the author of five books including How Propaganda Works winner of the Prose Award in Philosophy from the Association of American Publishers and How Fascism Works The Politics of Us and Them about which Citizens author Claudia Rankine says No single book is as relevant to the present moment Stanley serves on the board of the Prison Policy Initiative and writes frequently about propaganda free speech mass incarceration democracy and authoritarianism for The New York Times The Washington Post Boston Review The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Guardian. Thoroughly researched Jason Stanley presents a book with the possibility of an authoritarian regime in America He shows how omitting critical parts of shared history in schools and universities is a strategy developed by leaders in the world who have been able to manipulate and control societies. I thought What can he say that I don t know already A lot He educates the reader with what has happened in the world with countries such as China India and Russia that are controlled by authoritarians Some examples were noted with Hitler s movement during WWII McCarthy era in America and Putin s war in Ukraine. Stanley provided steps that authoritarian governments have used to change democracies with examples from Project 2025 There were classifications that were new to me such as Supremacist Nationalism It was distressing to read America s greatness stems from both its whiteness and its Christianity knowing that my ancestor Thomas Harris nearly escaped after refusing to join the religious group at a placed called the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1600s I learned about Hungary s prime minister Viktor Orb n recent speech at a Dallas Manfred Stanley a Syracuse professor who taught about the meanings of democratic citizenship Our world is changing with Artificial Intelligence and the massive amounts of internet news along with the bias news from the media It s important that we keep informed with the truthful past and present. My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of September 10 2024 Hardcover I have had Jason Stanley s other book How Fascism Works on my TBR for years so when I saw this one was available I jumped on the opportunity Genuinely a fantastic decision This book is a must read for anyone wanting to better understand how and why erasing or rewriting history is part of authoritarian and fascist governments and groups Stanley s explanations are concise precise and accessible even without much prior knowledge or understanding of fascism or any other concept that might intimidate you I highly recommend reading one chapter at a time and then taking a breather to fully reflect on and absorb what you ve just read Not because it is complicated but rather because it is somewhat mind blowing when you consider how each aspect links with the others to build this manipulation of history I will now be pushing all his other books to the top of my list Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books Atria One Signal Publishers for the opportunity to read this book Hardcover Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC In Erasing History Jason Stanley masterfully dissects the far right s insidious assault on education revealing how rewriting the past becomes a weapon to control our collective future With urgency and precision Stanley navigates the treacherous terrain where authoritarianism thrives our schools and universities. Authoritarians target our common understanding of history aiming to dismantle the bedrock of democracy By erasing historical context they leave us unmoored and susceptible to their divisive narratives. Democracies entrust educational institutions with preserving a memory of positive change generated by protests social movements and rebellions The authoritarian right seeks to erase this history stifling critical inquiry and progress. Stanley exposes the tactics and funders behind this assault From discouraging critical examination to threatening violence authoritarians weaponize education to rewrite narratives in their favor Erasing History is a battle cry for our times Stanley s clarity and urgency resonate as he reminds us that the worst fascist movements began in schools a sobering truth By understanding the fascist playbook we can safeguard our shared history true history and help protect democracy. Sometimes the fight to preserve the truth is the fight for our very existence Hardcover Jason Stanley is the kind of writer who s talent and erudition is undeniable but boy do you wish his books weren t so timely or increasingly relevant I read his book How Fascism Works back in 2018 and unfortunately have had little cause since then to think fascism won t be a major factor in my life Whereas his previous book was a bit broad and general for my taste this title was quite the opposite being incredibly specific and drawing on a number of current global examples Unfortunately there is no dearth of examples since fascism is having something of a moment right now from Putin s Russia to Modi s India and of course the United States own increasingly bold flirtation with authoritarianism While this global rise is threatening and overwhelming the role education and history in particular plays in this struggle for nations can easily be overlooked that s where this book comes in Stanley argues in convincing fashion that education is one of the most critical battlegrounds for any burgeoning fascist regime The reason for this the author shows throughout the pages of this book is that things like critical thinking and a shared understanding of history and culture are anathema to the way fascist governments operate and control people through manipulation misinformation and fear of the Other While there aren t any easy answers here the author does a good job of showing what is really at stake highlighting the close bond between education and a functioning democracy If nothing else this book should serve as a wake up call lest America become as authoritarian as Putin s Russia The fight for our classrooms today is just a prelude to the fight for our voting booths and indeed our country tomorrow Hardcover I gave this book an A which in Goodreads star system equates to 5 stars The publisher has requested that I hold off posting this here and at Mr Book s Book Reviews until closer to its publication on September 10 I will therefore post my review at both sites on September 3 Hardcover

Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future By Jason F. Stanley

1668056917

9781668056912

English

256

Hardcover

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: For those who believe in the power of knowledge and the resilience of truth Erasing History is essential reading Let s defend our past to shape a just and informed future