Stakes Is High
Life After the American Dream
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Narrated by:
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Mychal Denzel Smith
About this listen
Brave, clear-eyed, and passionate, Stakes Is High is the book we need to guide us past crisis mode and through an uncertain future.
The events of the past decade have forced us to reckon with who we are and who we want to be. We have been invested in a set of beliefs about our American identity: our exceptionalism, the inevitable rightness of our path, and the promise that hard work and determination will carry us to freedom. But in Stakes Is High, Mychal Denzel Smith confronts the shortcomings of these stories - and with the American Dream itself - and calls on us to live up to the principles we profess but fail to realize.
In a series of incisive essays, Smith exposes the stark contradictions at the heart of American life, holding all of us, individually and as a nation, to account. We've gotten used to looking away, but the fissures and casual violence of institutional oppression are ever-present.
There is a future that is not as grim as our past. In this profound work, Smith helps us envision it with care, honesty, and imagination.
©2020 Mychal Denzel Smith (P)2020 Bold Type BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
[Smith] is sharply self-aware, and he would seem to expect his reader to approach his fine-honed argument with the same seriousness. Doing so is well worth the effort. An urgent and provocative work that deserves the broadest possible audience." (Kirkus Reviews, starred)
"I want this book in the hands of everyone it would affect, which is to say, those with power and those lacking power; those of every race and ethnicity who are affected by the United States government; those who have hope, those who do not, and those who are somewhere in between. Smith writes with urgency and brilliance, honing prose to a fine glimmer as he demonstrates, again and again, life after the American Dream." (Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Collected Schizophrenias)
"Slim, impactful...Stakes Is High is a polemic in the best sense of the word, holding up a mirror to America in the hope that a clear-eyed glimpse of its failings will assist in the never-ending struggle to bring about the righteous nation it has always aspired to be." (Booklist, starred)
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Healing the Soul of America - 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Marianne Williamson
- Narrated by: Marianne Williamson
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Now updated with a new introduction by number-one New York Times best-selling author Marianne Williamson, the 20th anniversary edition of Healing the Soul of America shares her timeless, visionary message of political healing. This is a time, according to Williamson, for Americans to return once again to our first principles, both politically and spiritually. Here, Williamson draws plans to transform the American political consciousness and encourage powerful citizen involvement to heal our society.
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Marianne for president!
- By Gina Pagano Rose on 02-19-19
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Democracy Matters
- Winning the Fight Against Imperialism
- By: Cornel West
- Narrated by: Cornel West
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Democracy Matters is Cornel West's bold and powerful critique of the troubling deterioration of democracy in America in this threatening post-9/11 age of terrorist rage and imperial overreach, and an inspiring call for a resurgence of the deep democratic tradition in our country, which has waged war on the forces of imperialist corruption throughout our history.
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Well written, a refreshing voice of inspiration
- By Gabriel on 07-06-05
By: Cornel West
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We Have Overcome
- An Immigrant's Letter to the American People
- By: Jason D. Hill
- Narrated by: Jared Wright
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The dominant narrative, repeated in the media and from the angry mouths of politicians and activists, is the exact opposite of the reality. They paint a portrait of an America rife with racial and ethnic division, where minorities are mired in a poverty worse than slavery, and white people stand at the top of an unfairly stacked pyramid of privilege. Jason D. Hill corrects the narrative in this powerfully eloquent book. Dr. Hill came to America at the age of twenty from Jamaica and, rather than being faced with intractable racial bigotry, Hill found a land of bountiful opportunity.
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A message of hope for all Americans
- By No Regrets on 06-25-20
By: Jason D. Hill
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The Radical King
- By: Cornel West - editor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Narrated by: LeVar Burton, Gabourey Sidibe, Cornel West, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Wanda Sykes, LeVar Burton, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Gabourey Sidibe head a cast of beloved actors performing 23 selections from the speeches, sermons, and essays of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—many never recorded during his lifetime. For the first time, teachers, students, and thoughtful listeners can hear dramatic interpretations of Dr. King’s words, chosen and introduced by Cornel West.
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Not the best MLK audiobook
- By Nathan White on 02-07-19
By: Cornel West - editor, and others
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Death of the Liberal Class
- By: Chris Hedges
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris Hedges examines the failure of the liberal class to confront the rise of the corporate state and the consequences of a liberalism that has become profoundly bankrupted. Hedges argues that there are five pillars of the liberal establishment and that each of these institutions has sold out the constituents it represented. In doing so, the liberal class has become irrelevant to society at large and ultimately the corporate power elite they once served.
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Integrity-Can You Tell Me Where It's Gone?
- By Mel on 06-14-12
By: Chris Hedges
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The Black Presidency
- Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America
- By: Michael Eric Dyson
- Narrated by: Michael Eric Dyson
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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A provocative, lively deep dive into the meaning of America's first Black president and first Black presidency, from "one of the most graceful and lucid intellectuals writing on race and politics today" (
Vanity Fair).
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Unbalanced, narrow and personal
- By CH on 02-06-18
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A Bound Man
- Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win
- By: Shelby Steele
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling and controversial author Shelby Steele comes an illuminating examination of the complex racial issues that confront presidential candidate Barack Obama in his race for the White House, a quest that will be one of those galvanizing occasions that forces a national dialogue on the current state of race relations in America.
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The Masks We Wear
- By C. Matthew Hawkins on 09-01-20
By: Shelby Steele
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The Fire Is upon Us
- James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America
- By: Nicholas Buccola
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On February 18, 1965, an overflowing crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin, the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement, and William F. Buckley Jr., a fierce critic of the movement and America's most influential conservative intellectual. The topic was "the American dream is at the expense of the American Negro", and no one who has seen the debate can soon forget it. Nicholas Buccola's The Fire Is upon Us is the first book to tell the full story of the event.
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Sadly, the story is timeless.
- By Edward P. Cerne on 01-17-20
By: Nicholas Buccola
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The Reckoning
- Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal
- By: Mary L. Trump PhD
- Narrated by: Mary L. Trump PhD
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Reckoning will examine America’s national trauma, rooted in our history but dramatically exacerbated by the impact of current events and the Trump administration’s corrupt and immoral policies. Our failure to acknowledge this trauma, let alone root it out, has allowed it to metastasize. Whether it manifests itself in rising levels of rage and hatred, or hopelessness and apathy, the stress of living in a country we no longer recognize has affected all of us. America is suffering from PTSD - a new leader alone cannot fix us.
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Focus of racism using her uncle as a mirror
- By Amazon Customer on 08-18-21
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Rise Up
- Confronting a Country at the Crossroads
- By: Al Sharpton
- Narrated by: Al Sharpton, Leon Nixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning with a foreword by Michael Eric Dyson, Rise Up is a rousing call to action for our nation, drawing on lessons learned from Reverend Al Sharpton’s unique experience as a politician, television and radio host, and civil rights leader.
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Inspired and inspiring
- By Jessica S on 10-13-20
By: Al Sharpton
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What Unites Us
- Reflections on Patriotism
- By: Dan Rather, Elliot Kirschner
- Narrated by: Dan Rather
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In a collection of original essays, the venerated television journalist, Dan Rather, celebrates our shared values and what matters most in our great country, and shows us what patriotism looks like. Writing about the institutions that sustain us, such as public libraries, public schools, and national parks; the values that have transformed us, such as the struggle for civil rights; and the drive toward science and innovation that has made the US great, Rather brings his experience on the frontlines of the world's biggest stories, and offers listeners a way forward.
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Hope. For both sides of the aisle.
- By Leigh A. Barrett on 01-30-18
By: Dan Rather, and others
What listeners say about Stakes Is High
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- jenny b/hudson oh
- 03-01-22
Best listen for a long time
heard npr book review on this book
She said “ listened to it and read multiple times”
I agree… though provoking and significant in understanding of the real life perceptions and experiences of being a person of color in our country and the urgency to put ourselves outside the “me” and look at the “we” of our culture war narrative
Bought the book after audible and will encourage everyone to explore
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- Bikeopeli
- 11-22-20
Degeneration of the American fascist
The trump era represents the degeneration of the American fascists as racism confronts the rising tide of identity politics for representation.
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- Mara
- 12-17-20
Kirkus got it right!
Believe the hype. Well worth the read and listen...Smith also reads his work superbly. He makes a well-researched “plea for community” to unite for necessary change. I will make sure I own, re-read and study this book and then recommend it to everyone I can!
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- SweetPotatoPie
- 11-15-20
Very insightful and timely perspective.
I enjoyed the essays. I think a more polished narrator would have made beneficial in keeping the reader focused.
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- J Carlos Perez
- 03-08-21
Brilliant thinker with a true gift for writing
I waited too long to read this book. Hearing it read by the author enriches the experience.
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- James
- 03-09-22
powerful and insightful
Smith's analysis of our current time is incisive. He skillfully takes the vague feelings of discontent ans frustration many of us are feeling and puts words to them clearly and powerfully, making the implicit explicit. it's also brilliantly edited: hardly a word in the book is out of place.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-02-21
Right Now
I enjoyed this book. Smith began by referencing one of of my favorites songs of all time, The Space Program by A Tribe Called Quest. This immediately helped me to resonate and connect with the information he was presenting. We have had work to do, we have work to do, and we will have work to do. We have to keep striving forward to eliminate White Supremacy and shift many of the failing systems in our country, but it ultimately it begins with us. I highly recommend this book to any of you who have yet to read it. It contains honest information that can help us all. Peace and love, Wayne
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-30-22
Eye Opening Truth
This book challenges you to see what really is there. Though it propels us to rise up against societal norms, it dies not leave us hopeless or angry. It dares us to see our world as it is without apology and encourages us to stand up to make a difference and a better world.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-07-24
Truth to power
Incredible dissection of who this country is, has been, and what we can become. Highly recommend
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-07-22
Unsupported opinions
While I have no issue with writers performance or writing skill and I find his overall premise correct his conclusions are poorly supported by facts. it's clear his anger has overshadowed the arguments thus rendering them weak.
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