We Need New Stories: The Myths that Subvert Freedom
Brand: W. W. Norton & Company
Categories: Books, Politics & Social Sciences, Politics & Government



Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-13: 978-1324007296
Language: English
ISBN-10: 132400729X
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Print length: 224 pages
Publication date: May 11, 2021
subtitle: Hardcover – May 11, 2021
author: Visit Amazon's Nesrine Malik Page search results Nesrine Malik
review: Editorial Reviews Review "An acute and nuanced interrogator of contemporary prejudices, Nesrine Malik writes with immense moral courage and intellectual power." ― Pankaj Mishra, author of Age of Anger "Malik invites readers to analyze the media environment and political and cultural landscape of the early 21st century, with a keen, critical eye. … This volume is worth reading and rereading. ... Readers seeking a high-level analysis of political discourse will most appreciate Malik’s work." ― Sarah Schroeder, Library Journal (starred review) "A persuasive debunking of political and cultural myths that impede social justice in the U.S. and U.K. …This is a lucid reminder that the fight for equality is a battle of ideas." ― Publishers Weekly "Malik presents fierce opinions and cogent observations that deliver a deeply intelligent and powerfully provocative work that calls into question long-held beliefs of both the left and the right." ― Booklist From the Back Cover A malignant thread has been running through Anglo-American history, and it is made of myths. These are not myths that animate believers into a shared sense of camaraderie and direction. They are myths that divide and instill a sense of superiority over others. Nations are susceptible to these impulses when going through times of instability or subordination, when they become vulnerable to demagoguery, or fall to dictatorship. Again, myths are useful and comforting galvanizers. But when they take hold in democratic, ostensibly affluent societies, it is not a temporary madness, it is a culmination of events…These myths are spun by those who get to speak, who have the platforms, those who have historically accumulated the necessary influence and power. Those who, culturally, are defined as its vessels. Myths are spun out of several untruths, woven with skill, and their omnibus weights the narrative in favor of those who are not necessarily in power―it is less calculated than that―but of those who benefit from power. ―from the Prologue About the Author Nesrine Malik is an award-winning British-Sudanese columnist and features writer for the Guardian . We Need New Stories is her first book. She lives in London. Read more