 First edition cover | |
| Author | Matt Taibbi |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | David Slavin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Post-9/11 politics |
| Publisher | Spiegel & Grau |
Publication date | May 6, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-52034-8 |
| 973.93 | |
| LC Class | E902 .T345 2008 |
The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire is a 2008 non-fiction book by Matt Taibbi, published by Spiegel & Grau on May 6, 2008. [1] [2] [3]
In the book, Taibbi recounts his travels in the months leading up to the 2008 United States presidential election. He covers his trips to Iraq, the United States Congress, a meeting of the 9/11 Truth movement and his time undercover as a born-again Christian in John Hagee's Cornerstone Church in Texas. [4]
Taibbi discusses 9/11 conspiracy theories as symptomatic of what he calls the "derangement" of American society; a disconnection from reality due to widespread "disgust with our political system". Drawing a parallel with the charismatic movement, he argues that both "chose to battle bugbears that were completely idiotic, fanciful, and imaginary", instead of taking control of their own lives. While critical, Taibbi explains that 9/11 conspiracy theories are different from "Clinton-era black-helicopter paranoia", and constitute more than "a small, scattered group of nutcases ... they really were, just as they claim to be, almost everyone you meet." [5]
In an interview with Slate , Taibbi explained the book's title:
A theme I started to pick up on as I was covering politics for Rolling Stone was this idea that increasingly, we're not really a nation of citizens that have a commonly accepted group of facts that we're debating. Instead we're retreating into these insoluble pockets that have their own versions of reality. In this book, you're looking at, on the one side, the religious right, who sees 9/11 as divine retribution against the United States for sins like being too permissive to homosexuals, and on the other side, on the left, you have 9/11 as this conspiracy that was committed by the United States government against its own people. As people are retreating into these alternative versions of reality, they're unable to agree on anything, and we get this increasingly stagnant form of politics. [6]
Taibbi appeared on The Daily Show on May 27, 2008, to promote the book. He spoke with host Jon Stewart about his time as a member of John Hagee's church and a 9/11 conspiracy group. [7]
Kirkus Reviews said, "Taibbi displays a Hunter S. Thompson-esque knack for poisoned jabs at America's complacent underbelly" but added that "Taibbi fails to weave together these wavering strands." [8]
Publishers Weekly said, "Thoughtful Democrats, Republicans and independents will find common ground in this book that punctures pretense, hypocrisy and know-nothingness." [9]
Steve Appleford, writing for the Los Angeles Times , praised the book, saying, "This book is no rant. At times, it's even a little sad. The connections between all these corners of madness and corruption are not always clear, and the reality of mass indifference is not part of his calculations. But it's a fascinating and usually hilarious study, fueled by Taibbi's own brand of paranoia, reflecting a cruel light on an America gone wild." [10]
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable. The term has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal to a conspiracy is based on prejudice or insufficient evidence. A conspiracy theory is not the same as a conspiracy; instead, it refers to a hypothesized conspiracy with specific characteristics, such as an opposition to the mainstream consensus among those people who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy.
9/11 conspiracy theories attribute the preparation and execution of the September 11 attacks against the United States to parties other than, or in addition to, al-Qaeda. These include the theory that high-level government officials had advance knowledge of the attacks. Government investigations and independent reviews have rejected these theories. Proponents of these theories assert that there are inconsistencies in the commonly accepted version, or that there exists evidence that was ignored, concealed, or overlooked.
John Charles Hagee is an American pastor and televangelist. The founder of John Hagee Ministries, his ministry is telecast to the United States and Canada. Hagee is also the founder and chairman of the Christian-Zionist organization Christians United for Israel. Hagee is active politically and is known for his activism regarding the State of Israel. He has also attracted controversy over his comments on the Catholic Church, Jewish people and Islam, and promotion of the blood moon prophecy.
Mark Crispin Miller is a professor of media studies at New York University.
Matthew Colin Taibbi is an American author, journalist, and podcaster. He has reported on finance, media, politics, and sports. A former contributing editor for Rolling Stone, he is an author of several books, co-host of Useful Idiots, and publisher of the newsletter, TK News, on Substack.
John Phillips Avlon is an American journalist and political commentator. He is a Senior Political Analyst and anchor at CNN and was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast from 2013 to 2018. Avlon was previously a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun and chief speechwriter for former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani.
The eXile was a Moscow-based English-language biweekly free tabloid newspaper, aimed at the city's expatriate community, which combined outrageous, sometimes satirical, content with investigative reporting. In October 2006, co-editor Jake Rudnitsky summarized The eXile's editorial policy to The Independent: "We shit on everybody equally." The eXile is now published in an online-only format.
David Vaughan Icke is an English conspiracy theorist and a former footballer and sports broadcaster. He has written over 20 books, self-published since the mid-1990s, and spoken in more than 25 countries.
Seth Abramson is an American professor, attorney, author, political columnist, and poet. He is the editor of the Best American Experimental Writing series and wrote a bestselling trilogy of nonfiction works detailing the foreign policy agenda and political scandals of former president Donald Trump.
Joseph J. "Joe" Cassano is an American insurance executive who was an officer at AIG Financial Products from the division's founding in 1987 until his resignation in February 2008. Cassano is considered a key figure in the financial crisis of 2007–2008.
Spiegel & Grau was originally a publishing imprint of Penguin Random House founded by Celina Spiegel and Julie Grau in 2005.
Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America is a 2010 book by American political journalist Matt Taibbi about the events that led to the financial crisis of 2008.
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The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap is a 2014 non-fiction book by journalist Matt Taibbi about wealth inequality in the United States and its impact on the American conception of justice and the legal system.
Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus is a non-fiction book by Matt Taibbi about Donald Trump and the 2016 United States presidential election. The book contains illustrations by Rolling Stone artist Victor Juhasz. Taibbi's choice of title for the book was motivated by Trump's marketing style and is wordplay based on the name of American horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse. His work was inspired by Hunter S. Thompson, who had previously published Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.
I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street is a 2017 book by Matt Taibbi, published by Spiegel & Grau, about the death of Eric Garner. The book describes law enforcement procedures, systemic issues, and the individual life of Garner, as well as his death, and the influence on Black Lives Matter. According to Taibbi, the death itself "and the great distances that were traveled to protect his killer, now stand as testaments to America's pathological desire to avoid equal treatment under the law for its black population." Taibbi wrote that the death "had to be told without my voice, without linguistic cartwheels or jokes or any of the other circus tricks I learned to use."
Hate Inc.: Why Today's Media Makes Us Despise One Another is a 2019 non-fiction book by Matt Taibbi. It was first self-published by Taibbi online in serial form and later published by OR Books on October 8, 2019, in both hardcover and paperback as well as e-book format.
The Great Derangement can refer to:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (2014) is a memoir by American attorney Bryan Stevenson that documents his career defending disadvantaged clients. The book, focusing on injustices in the United States judicial system, alternates chapters between documenting Stevenson's efforts to overturn the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian and his work on other cases, including children who receive life sentences, and other poor or marginalized clients.
Brave New Weed: Adventures into the Uncharted World of Cannabis is a 2016 American nonfiction book by Joe Dolce about cannabis, the cannabis industry, and cannabis culture around the world, during the period of cannabis legalization in the United States.