Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I can't think of any book that does a better job of explaining how fascistic politics works than this one. It isn't necessary to have a full Fascist regime to have some of these policies put into effect, or to make certain appeals to voters. Many readers will already be aware of some of the things that Stanley talks about, but this is an especially clear and readable account. Much of the book is about the alarming trends in Eastern Europe, especially Poland and Hungary. And the flood of refugees in Western Europe has also triggered fascistic impulses there. And even the US has not turned out to be immune. In ten short, easy to read chapters, the author discusses ten of the important ways in which fascism takes hold. There's an appeal to an imaginary mythic past perhaps centuries ago or maybe only a few years ago, when things worked properly, and that "we" need to get back to. There's an appeal to good hard work, in contrast to the laziness of "them": Jews, Blacks, immigrants, refugees. take your pick depending on what era you're living in. Arbeit macht frei. Another chapter deals with the importance of ethnic and gender hierarchies: why is it that trans women seem to be an especially bothersome touhpoint? And people who are in fact privileged are presented as persecuted... The book is an easy read, but one that you may find scary.