-
In Defense of Elitism
- Why I'm Better Than You and You're Better Than Someone Who Didn't Buy This Book
- Narrated by: Joel Stein
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
From Thurber finalist and former star Time columnist Joel Stein comes a "brilliant exploration" (Walter Isaacson) of America's political culture war and a hilarious call to arms for the elite.
"I can think of no one more suited to defend elitism than Stein, a funny man with hands as delicate as a baby full of soft-boiled eggs."—Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein.
In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats.
To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Man Made
- A Stupid Quest for Masculinity
- By: Joel Stein
- Narrated by: Joel Stein
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The smudge looked suspicious. The doctor confirmed: "That's the baby's penis!" Joel's reaction? Pure panic. "I pictured having to go camping and fix a car and use a hammer and throw a football and watch professionals throw footballs and figure out whether to be sad or happy about the results of said football throwing." And so begins Joel's quest to confront his effete nature whether he likes it or not (he doesn't), by doing a 24-hour shift with LA firefighters, going hunting, rebuilding a house, and engaging in all sorts of other manly activities.
-
-
A Hilarious Journey to "Manhood"
- By Lurene on 09-04-12
By: Joel Stein
-
Backable
- The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You
- By: Suneel Gupta, Carlye Adler
- Narrated by: Suneel Gupta, Carlye Adler, Landon Woodson, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A groundbreaking book that boldly claims the key to success in business is not talent, connections, or ideas, but the ability to persuade people to take a chance on potential.
-
-
I like it
- By Nikolai Yinger on 04-17-21
By: Suneel Gupta, and others
-
Garbology
- Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash
- By: Edward Humes
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime, and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year. But our bins are just the starting point for a strange, impressive, mysterious, and costly journey that may also represent the greatest untapped opportunity of the century. In Garbology, Edward Humes investigates trash - what's in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are finding a way back from waste to discover a new kind of prosperity.
-
-
A phenomenal read & serious eye-opener
- By Andy Feicht on 10-07-18
By: Edward Humes
-
Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
-
-
Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
-
Our Own Worst Enemy
- The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy
- By: Tom Nichols
- Narrated by: Tom Nichols
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past three decades, citizens of democracies who claim to value freedom, tolerance, and the rule of law have increasingly embraced illiberal politicians and platforms. Democracy is in trouble - but who is really to blame? In Our Own Worst Enemy, Tom Nichols challenges the current depictions of the rise of illiberal and antidemocratic movements in the United States and elsewhere as the result of the deprivations of globalization or the malign decisions of elites. Rather, he places the blame for the rise of illiberalism on the people themselves.
-
-
Interesting but shallow
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-21
By: Tom Nichols
-
The Enlightenment
- The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790
- By: Ritchie Robertson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 40 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This magisterial history - sure to become the definitive work on the subject - recasts the Enlightenment as a period not solely consumed with rationale and reason, but rather as a pursuit of practical means to achieve greater human happiness.
-
-
The quickest 40 hour audio book I’ve listen to
- By Joey Caster on 04-02-21
-
Man Made
- A Stupid Quest for Masculinity
- By: Joel Stein
- Narrated by: Joel Stein
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The smudge looked suspicious. The doctor confirmed: "That's the baby's penis!" Joel's reaction? Pure panic. "I pictured having to go camping and fix a car and use a hammer and throw a football and watch professionals throw footballs and figure out whether to be sad or happy about the results of said football throwing." And so begins Joel's quest to confront his effete nature whether he likes it or not (he doesn't), by doing a 24-hour shift with LA firefighters, going hunting, rebuilding a house, and engaging in all sorts of other manly activities.
-
-
A Hilarious Journey to "Manhood"
- By Lurene on 09-04-12
By: Joel Stein
-
Backable
- The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You
- By: Suneel Gupta, Carlye Adler
- Narrated by: Suneel Gupta, Carlye Adler, Landon Woodson, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A groundbreaking book that boldly claims the key to success in business is not talent, connections, or ideas, but the ability to persuade people to take a chance on potential.
-
-
I like it
- By Nikolai Yinger on 04-17-21
By: Suneel Gupta, and others
-
Garbology
- Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash
- By: Edward Humes
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime, and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year. But our bins are just the starting point for a strange, impressive, mysterious, and costly journey that may also represent the greatest untapped opportunity of the century. In Garbology, Edward Humes investigates trash - what's in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are finding a way back from waste to discover a new kind of prosperity.
-
-
A phenomenal read & serious eye-opener
- By Andy Feicht on 10-07-18
By: Edward Humes
-
Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
-
-
Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
-
Our Own Worst Enemy
- The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy
- By: Tom Nichols
- Narrated by: Tom Nichols
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past three decades, citizens of democracies who claim to value freedom, tolerance, and the rule of law have increasingly embraced illiberal politicians and platforms. Democracy is in trouble - but who is really to blame? In Our Own Worst Enemy, Tom Nichols challenges the current depictions of the rise of illiberal and antidemocratic movements in the United States and elsewhere as the result of the deprivations of globalization or the malign decisions of elites. Rather, he places the blame for the rise of illiberalism on the people themselves.
-
-
Interesting but shallow
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-21
By: Tom Nichols
-
The Enlightenment
- The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790
- By: Ritchie Robertson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 40 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This magisterial history - sure to become the definitive work on the subject - recasts the Enlightenment as a period not solely consumed with rationale and reason, but rather as a pursuit of practical means to achieve greater human happiness.
-
-
The quickest 40 hour audio book I’ve listen to
- By Joey Caster on 04-02-21
-
Underground
- A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet
- By: Will Hunt
- Narrated by: Will Hunt
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A panoramic investigation of the subterranean landscape, from sacred caves and derelict subway stations to nuclear bunkers and ancient underground cities - an exploration of the history, science, architecture, and mythology of the worlds beneath our feet.
-
-
An interesting unearthing of some awesome spaces
- By Garry on 02-23-19
By: Will Hunt
-
The Comedians
- Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy
- By: Kliph Nesteroff
- Narrated by: Kliph Nesteroff
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over 200 original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past 100 years.
-
-
Performance issues
- By E. A. Smith on 09-02-19
By: Kliph Nesteroff
-
It Can't Happen Here
- By: Sinclair Lewis
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, is dismayed to find that many of the people he knows support presidential candidate Berzelius Windrip. The suspiciously fascist Windrip is offering to save the nation from sex, crime, welfare cheats, and a liberal press. But after Windrip wins the election, dissent soon becomes dangerous for Jessup. Windrip forcibly gains control of Congress and the Supreme Court and, with the aid of his personal paramilitary storm troopers, turns the United States into a totalitarian state.
-
-
The Rise of American Authoritarianism
- By David S. Mathew on 11-21-16
By: Sinclair Lewis
-
Tucker
- By: Chadwick Moore
- Narrated by: Chadwick Moore
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For tens of millions of Americans, Tucker Carlson was long the only voice on cable news providing a counternarrative to establishment Washington and the mainstream press on the most important issues of our time: the Covid-19 vaccine, January 6, the Ukraine war, and even UFOs, just to name a few.
-
-
A master class on living an ethical life.
- By Jason on 08-05-23
By: Chadwick Moore
-
1066: The Year That Changed Everything
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 3 hrs
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With this exciting and historically rich six-lecture course, experience for yourself the drama of this dynamic year in medieval history, centered on the landmark Norman Conquest. Taking you from the shores of Scandinavia and France to the battlefields of the English countryside, these lectures will plunge you into a world of fierce Viking warriors, powerful noble families, politically charged marriages, tense succession crises, epic military invasions, and much more.
-
-
History brought to life
- By Joshua on 07-10-13
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
-
The Big Break
- The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind
- By: Ben Terris
- Narrated by: Tim Andrés Pabon
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Big Break investigates how Washington works, and how different kinds of people try to make it work for them. Ben Terris presents an inside history of this crucial moment in Washington, reporting from exclusive parties, poker nights, fundraisers, secluded farms outside town and the halls of Congress; among the oddballs and opportunists and true believers. This book is about the people who see this moment as an opportunity to bet big—on their country or maybe just on themselves.
-
-
A sad expose
- By HENRY D. MALANOWSKI on 08-16-23
By: Ben Terris
-
Triggered
- How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us
- By: Donald Trump Jr.
- Narrated by: James Edward Thomas, Donald Trump Jr.
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trump, Jr. writes about the importance of fighting back and standing up for what you believe in. From his childhood summers in Communist Czechoslovakia that began his political thought process, to working on construction sites with his father, to the major achievements of President Trump's administration, Donald Trump, Jr., spares no details and delivers a book that focuses on success and perseverance, and proves offense is the best defense.
-
-
Mediocre
- By Joel dredla on 11-09-19
By: Donald Trump Jr.
-
The Sober Diaries
- How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living
- By: Clare Pooley
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Like many women, Clare Pooley found the juggle of a stressful career and family life a struggle, so she left her successful role as a managing partner in one of the world's biggest advertising agencies to look after her family. She knew the change wouldn't be easy, but she never expected to find herself an overweight, depressed, middle-aged mother of three who was drinking more than a bottle of wine a day and spending her evenings Googling 'am I an alcoholic?'
-
-
The performance makes this one worthwhile...
- By River Holmes-miller on 04-24-18
By: Clare Pooley
-
Arguing with Socialists
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Glenn Beck, Jeremy Lowell
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Arguing with Socialists, New York Times best-selling author Glenn Beck arms listeners to the teeth with information necessary to debunk the socialist arguments that have once again become popular, and proves that the free market is the only way to go. With his trademark humor, Beck lampoons the resurgence of this bankrupt leftist philosophy with thousands of stories, facts, and arguments for anyone who is willing to ask the hard questions.
-
-
Its great...whatever
- By Jon on 04-08-20
By: Glenn Beck
-
Humankind
- A Hopeful History
- By: Rutger Bregman, Erica Moore, Elizabeth Manton
- Narrated by: Rutger Bregman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest.
-
-
He’s correct but he misrepresented the data
- By Andrea Allen on 02-09-21
By: Rutger Bregman, and others
-
Don't Burn This Book
- Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason
- By: Dave Rubin
- Narrated by: Dave Rubin
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dave Rubin launched his political talk show The Rubin Report in 2015 as a meeting ground for free thinkers who realize that partisan politics is a dead end. He hosts people he both agrees and disagrees with - including those who have been dismissed, deplatformed, and despised - taking on the most controversial issues of our day. As a result, he’s become a voice of reason in a time of madness. Now, Rubin gives you the tools you need to think for yourself in an age when tribal outrage is the only available alternative.
-
-
Poorly written, wrong on facts, poor content.
- By quintus on 05-01-20
By: Dave Rubin
-
How to Be Perfect
- The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
- By: Michael Schur
- Narrated by: Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D'Arcy Carden, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people think of themselves as “good", but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “good” or “bad” - especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia, and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more, so we can sound cool at parties and become better people.
-
-
Some philosophy, lots of politics
- By NJDad on 02-02-22
By: Michael Schur
Critic reviews
"With this indispensable book, Joel Stein firmly establishes himself as the Ted Nugent of elitism."—Andy Borowitz, New York Times bestselling author and writer of The Borowitz Report
"Every paragraph of this book will make you laugh, but it will also (I promise) change the way you think. Joel has written a brilliant exploration of the supposed divide between elites and populists, cleverly disguised as a humorous personal excursion. Like Don Quixote he forays into perilous territory, his lance at his side, and what he finds will surprise you. Deeply reported and poignant, with a light touch of sweet self-awareness, his journey can help us all take our minds to a better place."—Walter Isaacson, the New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo Da Vinci and Steve Jobs
"[Stein] investigates the contemporary political landscape with a gimlet eye and plenty of humor in this deep dive into our cultural divide."—Town and Country
Related to this topic
-
Mitch, Please!
- How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America Too)
- By: Matt Jones, Chris Tomlin - contributor
- Narrated by: Matt Jones, Chris Tomlin
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They say all politics is local. In 2020, Mitch McConnell will have served five full terms as a US Senator. Thirty years. The Senate Majority leader's power is as undeniable as it is infuriating, and the people of Kentucky have had enough. Led by Matt Jones, they (and they alone) have the power to oust him from office. How did Jones, a local boy turned attorney turned sports radio host come to shine the brightest light on McConnell's ineptitude?
-
-
Amazing
- By Danielle Purcell on 04-10-20
By: Matt Jones, and others
-
The Great Gasbag
- An A-Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World
- By: Joy Behar
- Narrated by: Joy Behar
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Put down the knife, lock away the gun, lay aside the noose - Joy Behar is here to save you from suicide as she hot walks you through the next four years (two if we are lucky, less if liberal dreams come true). Besides despair, the sane response to the insanity in the White House is laughter. On her hit ABC daytime show The View, Joy has been blunt in her condemnation of the comb over-in-chief, and her words have electrified and inspired millions in the resistance for whom #notmypresident has become a rallying cry.
-
-
Funny and Smart !
- By MM on 10-29-17
By: Joy Behar
-
The Great Revolt
- Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics
- By: Salena Zito, Brad Todd
- Narrated by: Bob Hess
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Standout syndicated columnist and CNN contributor Salena Zito, with veteran Republican strategist Brad Todd, reports across five swing states and over 27,000 miles to answer the pressing question: Was Donald Trump's election a fluke or did it represent a fundamental shift in the electorate that will have repercussions - for Republicans and Democrats - for years to come.
-
-
Explaining Trump's 2016 presidential victory
- By Wayne on 05-10-18
By: Salena Zito, and others
-
Antisocial
- Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation
- By: Andrew Marantz
- Narrated by: Andrew Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a rising star at The New Yorker, a deeply immersive chronicle of how the optimistic entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley set out to create a free and democratic internet - and how the cynical propagandists of the alt-right exploited that freedom to propel the extreme into the mainstream.
-
-
Amazing read!!!
- By Nick H on 10-23-19
By: Andrew Marantz
-
Rush Limbaugh
- An Army of One
- By: Zev Chafets
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you remember your first time? People tend to remember the moment they first heard The Rush Limbaugh Show on the radio. For Zev Chafets, it was in a car in Detroit, driving down Woodward Avenue. Limbaugh's braggadocio, the outrageous satire, the slaughtering of liberal sacred cows performed with the verve of a rock-n-roll DJ-it seemed fresh, funny and completely subversive.
-
-
Enjoyed it, despite poor narration
- By David on 06-02-10
By: Zev Chafets
-
Better Off Without 'Em
- A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession
- By: Chuck Thompson
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let’s talk about secession. Not exactly the most suitable cocktail party conversation starter anywhere in the country, but take that notion deep into the heart of Dixie and you might find yourself running from the possum-hunting conservatives, trailer-park lifers, and prayer warriors Chuck Thompson encountered during the two years he spent traveling the American South asking the question: Would we be better off without ’em?
-
-
What can I say? I loved it.
- By Blake on 03-02-14
By: Chuck Thompson
-
Mitch, Please!
- How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America Too)
- By: Matt Jones, Chris Tomlin - contributor
- Narrated by: Matt Jones, Chris Tomlin
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They say all politics is local. In 2020, Mitch McConnell will have served five full terms as a US Senator. Thirty years. The Senate Majority leader's power is as undeniable as it is infuriating, and the people of Kentucky have had enough. Led by Matt Jones, they (and they alone) have the power to oust him from office. How did Jones, a local boy turned attorney turned sports radio host come to shine the brightest light on McConnell's ineptitude?
-
-
Amazing
- By Danielle Purcell on 04-10-20
By: Matt Jones, and others
-
The Great Gasbag
- An A-Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World
- By: Joy Behar
- Narrated by: Joy Behar
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Put down the knife, lock away the gun, lay aside the noose - Joy Behar is here to save you from suicide as she hot walks you through the next four years (two if we are lucky, less if liberal dreams come true). Besides despair, the sane response to the insanity in the White House is laughter. On her hit ABC daytime show The View, Joy has been blunt in her condemnation of the comb over-in-chief, and her words have electrified and inspired millions in the resistance for whom #notmypresident has become a rallying cry.
-
-
Funny and Smart !
- By MM on 10-29-17
By: Joy Behar
-
The Great Revolt
- Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics
- By: Salena Zito, Brad Todd
- Narrated by: Bob Hess
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Standout syndicated columnist and CNN contributor Salena Zito, with veteran Republican strategist Brad Todd, reports across five swing states and over 27,000 miles to answer the pressing question: Was Donald Trump's election a fluke or did it represent a fundamental shift in the electorate that will have repercussions - for Republicans and Democrats - for years to come.
-
-
Explaining Trump's 2016 presidential victory
- By Wayne on 05-10-18
By: Salena Zito, and others
-
Antisocial
- Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation
- By: Andrew Marantz
- Narrated by: Andrew Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a rising star at The New Yorker, a deeply immersive chronicle of how the optimistic entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley set out to create a free and democratic internet - and how the cynical propagandists of the alt-right exploited that freedom to propel the extreme into the mainstream.
-
-
Amazing read!!!
- By Nick H on 10-23-19
By: Andrew Marantz
-
Rush Limbaugh
- An Army of One
- By: Zev Chafets
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you remember your first time? People tend to remember the moment they first heard The Rush Limbaugh Show on the radio. For Zev Chafets, it was in a car in Detroit, driving down Woodward Avenue. Limbaugh's braggadocio, the outrageous satire, the slaughtering of liberal sacred cows performed with the verve of a rock-n-roll DJ-it seemed fresh, funny and completely subversive.
-
-
Enjoyed it, despite poor narration
- By David on 06-02-10
By: Zev Chafets
-
Better Off Without 'Em
- A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession
- By: Chuck Thompson
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let’s talk about secession. Not exactly the most suitable cocktail party conversation starter anywhere in the country, but take that notion deep into the heart of Dixie and you might find yourself running from the possum-hunting conservatives, trailer-park lifers, and prayer warriors Chuck Thompson encountered during the two years he spent traveling the American South asking the question: Would we be better off without ’em?
-
-
What can I say? I loved it.
- By Blake on 03-02-14
By: Chuck Thompson
-
The Partly Cloudy Patriot
- By: Sarah Vowell
- Narrated by: Sarah Vowell, Conan O'Brien, Seth Green, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German Filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush's inauguration. The result is an engrossing audiobook, capturing Vowell's memorable wit and her keen social commentary.
-
-
One of the best surprises on AUDIBLE.COM!!
- By Doggy Bird on 04-14-04
By: Sarah Vowell
-
God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy
- By: Mike Huckabee
- Narrated by: Mike Huckabee
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mike Huckabee's new book God, Guns, Grits and Gravy, he asks the question, "Have I been taken to a different planet than the one on which I grew up?" The New York Times best-selling author explores today's American culture, drawing from his travels as a presidential candidate to present average, small-town people and families, and their optimistic resilience in the face of hard times.
-
-
Review
- By Dorothy Ella on 02-13-15
By: Mike Huckabee
-
The Book of Pride
- LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
- By: Mason Funk
- Narrated by: Mason Funk, Robin Miles, Eileen Stevens, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Book of Pride captures the true story of the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought battles both personal and political, often without the support of family or friends, frequently under the threat of violence and persecution.
-
-
Pure Joy for EVERYONE
- By Micah D on 06-03-19
By: Mason Funk
-
The Unwinding
- An Inner History of the New America
- By: George Packer
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Unwinding, George Packer, author of The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, tells the story of the United States over the past three decades in an utterly original way, with his characteristically sharp eye for detail and gift for weaving together complex narratives. The Unwinding portrays a superpower in danger of coming apart at the seams, its elites no longer elite, its institutions no longer working, its ordinary people left to improvise their own schemes for success and salvation.
-
-
Can't understand the low ratings!
- By Janet Pittman Henley on 05-27-13
By: George Packer
-
The Obama Diaries
- By: Laura Ingraham
- Narrated by: Laura Ingraham
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Popular conservative radio host Laura Ingraham discusses President Obama's first year in office. Informative and hugely entertaining, The Obama Diaries will inspire both laughter and critical thinking about the future of the nation and the man currently at the helm.
-
-
Almost Not Funny -- Almost!
- By Dan on 07-14-10
By: Laura Ingraham
-
The Enemy Within
- Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Churches, Schools & Military
- By: Michael Savage
- Narrated by: Cameron Beierle
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Savage's powerful, unmatched mix of razor-sharp wit and explosive socio-political commentary has made him into a cultural phenomenon, becoming not only one of America's most popular radio talk-show hosts, but also a best-selling author. This is his latest assault on the corrosive effects of liberalism on American culture.
-
-
Still applies
- By gary lee johnson on 02-05-19
By: Michael Savage
-
The Forgotten
- How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America
- By: Ben Bradlee
- Narrated by: Kiff Vandenheuvel
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Forgotten, Ben Bradlee, Jr., reports on how voters in Luzerne County, a pivotal county in a crucial swing state, came to feel like strangers in their own land - marginalized by flat or falling wages, rapid demographic change, and a liberal culture that mocks their faith and patriotism.
-
-
Wow
- By Walter on 11-05-18
By: Ben Bradlee
-
Rick Mercer Final Report
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rick Mercer can always be relied on to provoke a strong reaction - but what he said one fall day in 2017 truly shocked Canada. In a rant posted on social media, the great Canadian satirist announced loud and clear that the 15th season of the Rick Mercer Report - the nation's best-watched and best-loved comedy show - would be the last. This volume brings together never-before-published rants from the last five seasons of the show, plus a selection of the very best rants from earlier years.
-
-
Mercer Hits It Out Of The Ballpark
- By Wade Lancaster on 11-11-19
By: Rick Mercer
-
F.U.B.A.R.
- America's Right-Wing Nightmare
- By: Sam Seder, Stephen Sherrill
- Narrated by: Sam Seder
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States has survived clueless presidential administrations before. But no matter how enormous the crisis, the Great Depression, Vietnam, Watergate, or Monica Lewinsky's thong, America always comes out looking like, well, America.
-
-
Don't take this book seriously
- By Richard on 05-25-06
By: Sam Seder, and others
-
The Time of Our Lives
- Collected Writings
- By: Peggy Noonan
- Narrated by: Betsy Foldes Meiman, Rena-Marie Villano, Peggy Noonan
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peggy Noonan is one of the most brilliant and influential political thinkers and writers of our time. The author of five best-selling books ( What I Saw at the Revolution is now a classic), her column in The Wall Street Journal is a must-read for millions of Americans. Witty, incisive, and always original, Peggy Noonan is a conservative intellectual with wide-reaching appeal across the political spectrum. Now, for the first time, the best of Noonan's writing will be collected in one indispensable volume.
-
-
Ronald Reagan is God. Who knew?
- By Rick on 11-20-15
By: Peggy Noonan
-
Created Equal
- Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
- By: Michael Pack, Mark Paoletta
- Narrated by: Charles Constant, Shamaan Casey, Pamela Klein
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born into dire poverty in the segregated South and abandoned by his father as a child, Justice Clarence Thomas triumphed over seemingly insurmountable odds to become one of the most influential justices on the Supreme Court. Yet after three decades of honorable service, few know him beyond his contentious confirmation and the surrounding media firestorm. Who is Justice Clarence Thomas, in his own words? Created Equal builds on dozens of hours of groundbreaking one-on-one interviews with Thomas to share a new, expanded account of his powerful story for the first time.
-
-
Justice Thomas, the epitome of a “Real American Man”!
- By the walton's on 06-23-22
By: Michael Pack, and others
-
Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right
- Opinionated Columns on American Life
- By: Michael Smerconish
- Narrated by: Michael Smerconish
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Opinionated talk show host and columnist Michael Smerconish has been chronicling local, state, and national events for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 15 years. He has sounded off on topics as diverse as the hunt for Osama bin Laden and what the color of your Christmas lights says about you. In this collection of 100 of his most memorable columns, Smerconish reflects on American political life with his characteristic feistiness.
-
-
All about Smerc and who cares about the victims
- By Mark J. Rosen on 12-10-20
What listeners say about In Defense of Elitism
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- UFHD
- 10-05-20
An entertaining and informative listen
Joel paints a narrative of American political communities and how they don't get along.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan D. Baker
- 11-22-19
Brilliant Assessment, with Laugh-Out-Loud Humor
I was captivated by this book. Stein is a masterful storyteller, leading the reader along a journey of discovery into the face and root cause of populism in the US and how we ‘intellectual elites’ have fueled a culture war by scolding and looking down on those who don’t share our views. Stein casts himself as protagonist in self effacing humor and makes the earnest case for more listening, less judging and more restraint. I loved listening to his narration - I couldn’t put it down!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tiffini Anderson
- 11-22-19
Super funny!
Joel thinks The Death of Expertise is better. I disagree. Joel's book is really funny and doesn't default to today's standard gaslighting of young people. I'll give this as a gift over the holidays.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sharon a. hammond
- 11-12-19
Laughed, snorted and cracked up out loud
As a person who straddles the elite and the populist paradigm, or maybe as someone who belongs in neither, I adored this book! My parents both came from farms in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, they somehow reared me as an elite and a populist (I’m vegan and drive the smug of smuggiest cars yet went to a state college, married my hs sweetheart and probably cannot accurately spell the word potato).
I absolutely recommend this! And so did my husband (who went to a “college in New Jersey” and law school in Northern California, “where the mascot is a tree”, although we no longer live in California (but two of our children do) i felt like Joel wrote this book for me..... albeit to illuminate my shortcomings, hypocrisy, and my elitism.
I admit I have never laughed so hard reading a book. Although, mostly I was laughing at myself. This book is self deprecating and brutally honest and in some way could be thought of as an olive branch to the groups of people we tend to alienate, willingly and unwillingly.
I learned something new for ex: about boat elitists and that I have a new crush, his name is Joel Stein.
Bravo! I’m off to read more books by you. I confess, the only non-fiction authors I’ve read were John Meecham, Trevor Noah and Malcolm Gladwell.
Oooh .....does that sound smug?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ymcebs
- 09-04-21
loved it!
This audio book is very informative and funny, a very interesting read (actually hear).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Treiber
- 11-07-19
A wake up call for the intelligent.
High IQ? Successful? Annoyed by stupid people? If you said yes to all three, this is a book that will have you nodding, laughing, and then groaning at how much you find yourself agreeing with John Stein's self assessment of how and why smart people are failing at elevating American society. It's a wake up call for the intelligent or as Stein calls them "the elite" who are in the "the loop." Start the discussion on how to connect society issues but using this book to first become self aware of how you're part of the problem (insert groan here). Ugh, Stein is right.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sean Dooley
- 02-14-20
I loved this.
easy listen, insightful, funny, and provoked a number of thoughts I ordinarily wouldn't have had.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shawn
- 06-13-23
Love the perspective
Learning how the world works and now how to clearly articulate and communicate what I was thinking all along.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- roz
- 12-12-19
funny and informative
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It's funny and also informative about perspective of both sides of the liberalism versus for populists divide. Seems to be written from a liberalist perspective, I'd be intrested to know how trump supporters feel this book may have informed them.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Etoile NEOhio
- 02-10-23
I NEEDED this book!
I was raised upper-middleclass, but I've never heard the term "upper-middlebrow" before, which also applies. I'm so tired of "elite" being used, along with "liberal", as a pejorative. If you're sharing those feelings, this book will make feel better, laugh, and think.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!