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The Great Derangement (Abridged): A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,684 listener ratings
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A REVELATORY AND DARKLY COMIC ADVENTURE THROUGH A NATION ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN—FROM THE HALLS OF CONGRESS TO THE BASES OF BAGHDAD TO THE APOCALYPTIC CHURCHES OF THE HEARTLAND Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi set out to describe the nature of George Bush’s America in the post-9/11 era and ended up vomiting demons in an evangelical church in Texas, riding the streets of Baghdad in an American convoy to nowhere, searching for phantom fighter jets in Congress, and falling into the rabbit hole of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Matt discovered in his travels across the country that the resilient blue state/red state narrative of American politics had become irrelevant. A large and growing chunk of the American population was so turned off—or radicalized—by electoral chicanery, a spineless news media, and the increasingly blatant lies from our leaders (“they hate us for our freedom”) that they abandoned the political mainstream altogether. They joined what he calls The Great Derangement. Taibbi tells the story of this new American madness by inserting himself into four defining American subcultures: The Military, where he finds himself mired in the grotesque black comedy of the American occupation of Iraq; The System, where he follows the money-slicked path of legislation in Congress; The Resistance, where he doubles as chief public antagonist and undercover member of the passionately bonkers 9/11 Truth Movement; and The Church, where he infiltrates a politically influential apocalyptic mega-ministry in Texas and enters the lives of its desperate congregants. Together these four interwoven adventures paint a portrait of a nation dangerously out of touch with reality and desperately searching for answers in all the wrong places. Funny, smart, and a little bit heartbreaking, The Great Derangement is an audaciously reported, sobering, and illuminating portrait of America at the end of the Bush era.
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"The author has written a very entertaining (while still unsettling) description of what's going on in the US. He joins an evangelical church in Texas, attends meetings of the 9-11 Truth Movement, is embedded in Iraq, and follows the doings in Congress. It sounds like a mish-mash, but it's actually quite cohesive, and, despite what might seem like a hopeless situation, the author gives the reader some hope at the end. Good stuff...."
— Vicki (4 out of 5 stars)
The Great Derangement Listener Reviews
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" Matt Taibbi is hilariously wonderful. I would have given this five stars except for his use of the word 'retard' all throughout. "
— Laura, 2/7/2014 -
" A pretty humorous (and somewhat scary) look at the current state of politics and religion and how they intersect. If you like Taibbi's work in Rolling Stone, you will like this book. "
— Aaron, 2/6/2014 -
" When politicians do their best to avoid transparency in government, people start to believe whatever insane stab a the truth happens to be most conducive to their unavoidably skewed world view. "
— Stephen, 2/3/2014 -
" Matt Taibbi walks through the fringes of our society and points out that people aren't that different. This book chronicles his experiences with 9/11 truthers, John Hagee's ministry and congress which show how screwed up our country really is. His tale is scary, sad and funny all at the same time, but it ultimately provokes understanding and compassion for those who seem unreasonable from a distance. "
— Jeremy, 1/29/2014 -
" Lacking a central thesis, I skipped most of this aimless breakdown of What's Wrong in America. I did like the two short chapters, though, on how legislation actually gets molded (it's all in backroom committees), and how to spot earmarks. "
— Michael, 1/29/2014 -
" Matt Tiabbi explored fringe thinking on both the right and left. It was both hilarious and sad and proves that people who are afraid and/or feel powerless may stop thinking critically and believe some bizarre things even in the face of virtually irrefutable evidence to the contrary. "
— Peggy, 1/8/2014 -
" Matt Taibbi never fails to be entertaining, knowledgeable and totally relevant in his writing. A good lead up to some of the shams, deceits and back-room politics affecting our country and world. "
— Andy, 12/30/2013 -
" that one chapter where he sneaks into the church retreat is worth the price of the book alone! "
— Fauz, 12/14/2013 -
" Taibbi is a Great American Writer. "
— Jan, 12/10/2013 -
" The best bit is where he tries to write the script for the meeting at which was planned the 9/11 conspiracy that the Truthers imagine. Funny stuff. "
— David, 12/5/2013 -
" I enjoyed the chapters regarding the author's undercover mission to join a megachurch in Texas..but overall I found the book unfulfilling. "
— Claudette, 11/21/2013 -
" Taibbi's rage is distracting occasionally, but never inappropriate. Loved this book. "
— Jeff, 11/20/2013 -
" Read this years ago, just thought about it today. "
— Picklefactory, 8/15/2013 -
" HILARIOUS reading for political junkies. Can you imagine taking over Hunter Thompson's old job!?! Taibbi is actually eerily prescient about President Obama's election victory. "
— Todd, 8/13/2013 -
" Amazing material in this book, and the prose is witty and shocking. It's amazing how far from reality large swaths of Americans have drifted. "
— Erk1024, 5/11/2013 -
" Nyuk, nyuk. Both extreme fringes meet in the middle of incoherence and Matt is there to document the lunacy. A frightening illustration of the anti-intellectualism that's gained hold here in the last 7 years. "
— Archie, 4/6/2013 -
" Brilliant. And really fucking funny, too. "
— Jason, 2/19/2013 -
" One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. Totally encapsulates my views on what is wrong with America today. Matt Taibbi is my hero. "
— Tom, 3/15/2012 -
" This book is soooo good. Anyone who is into politics should read it. "
— Leslie, 12/22/2011 -
" he pukes demons into a bag with uber-christians and he finally teaches me what the fuck an earmark is, but he still aint no hunter s. thompson "
— Brendan, 11/4/2011 -
" Irreverent and good! "
— Hans, 9/11/2011 -
" Brilliant! Taibbi's best yet. If you've been wondering why everyone around you seems to be getting crazier and crazier, this book will explain why. "
— Horatio, 4/15/2011 -
" Outstanding story of politics and religion. "
— Steve, 1/31/2011 -
" Amazing material in this book, and the prose is witty and shocking. It's amazing how far from reality large swaths of Americans have drifted. "
— Erk1024, 1/12/2011 -
" Entertaining, but didn't really seem to have a strong point. "
— Danielle, 12/14/2010 -
" that one chapter where he sneaks into the church retreat is worth the price of the book alone! "
— Fauz, 12/9/2010 -
" A wishy washy Hunter S. Thompson. Good, not great, and not as outrageous as I want him to be. "
— Will, 12/3/2010 -
" Hysterical and scary as the title suggests. His account of a Cornerstone revival the most vivid in this collection of short stories. "
— Casie, 11/21/2010 -
" Back against the wall, sweaty-palmed scary. That is, in between the fall-on-your-knees soblaughs. Matt Taibbi may be my new favorite news source. "
— Gwen, 11/17/2010
About Matt Taibbi
Matt Taibbi, author of the New York Times bestsellers Insane Clown President, The Divide, and The Great Derangement, among other works. He is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and winner of the 2008 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. He won a Sidney Award in 2009 for his article “The Great American Bubble Machine.”
About David Slavin
David Slavin’s stories for children are featured in the book and CD of Marlo Thomas’s Thanks & Giving: All Year Long, and the 35th Anniversary edition of Free to Be…You and Me. He is the co-author of three books of satire: Young Dick Cheney: Great American; ’Twas the Night Before Christmas 21st Century Edition; and Dog on the Roof!: On the Road with Mitt and the Mutt. His cultural and political commentary has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, and the Huffington Post, and he was a regular contributor—as both a writer and performer—to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered for over a decade. David has also been a voice-over artist for over 20 years, lending his voice to hundreds of radio and television commercials, numerous audiobooks, and narrations for PBS, National Geographic, the BBC, and The Late Show with David Letterman. He lives in New York City with his wife, two children, sight-challenged dog, and noisy bird.