Them
Why We Hate Each Other - and How to Heal
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Narrated by:
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Ben Sasse
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By:
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Ben Sasse
About this listen
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing American Adult, an intimate and urgent assessment of the existential crisis facing our nation.
Something is wrong. We all know it.
American life expectancy is declining for a third straight year. Birth rates are dropping. Nearly half of us think the other political party isn’t just wrong; they’re evil. We’re the richest country in history, but we’ve never been more pessimistic.
What’s causing the despair?
In Them, bestselling author and U.S. senator Ben Sasse argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, our crisis isn’t really about politics. It’s that we’re so lonely we can’t see straight—and it bubbles out as anger.
Local communities are collapsing. Across the nation, little leagues are disappearing, Rotary clubs are dwindling, and in all likelihood, we don’t know the neighbor two doors down. Work isn’t what we’d hoped: less certainty, few lifelong coworkers, shallow purpose. Stable families and enduring friendships—life’s fundamental pillars—are in statistical freefall.
As traditional tribes of place evaporate, we rally against common enemies so we can feel part of a team. No institutions command widespread public trust, enabling foreign intelligence agencies to use technology to pick the scabs on our toxic divisions. We’re in danger of half of us believing different facts than the other half, and the digital revolution throws gas on the fire.
There’s a path forward—but reversing our decline requires something radical: a rediscovery of real places and human-to-human relationships. Even as technology nudges us to become rootless, Sasse shows how only a recovery of rootedness can heal our lonely souls.
America wants you to be happy, but more urgently, America needs you to love your neighbor and connect with your community. Fixing what's wrong with the country depends on it.
©2018 Ben Sasse (P)2018 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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As a progressive commentator on Fox News and now CNN, Sally Kohn has made a career out of bridging intractable political differences, learning how to talk civilly to people whose views she disagrees with passionately. Famously "nice", she even gave a TED Talk about what she termed emotional correctness. But these days, even Kohn has found herself wanting to breathe fire at her enemies. It was time, she decided, to look into the ugliness erupting all around us.
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Profoundly insightful, important, and digestible.
- By Scott on 04-24-18
By: Sally Kohn
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Disintegration
- The Splintering of Black America
- By: Eugene Robinson
- Narrated by: Alan Bomar Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The African American population in the United States has always been seen as a single entity: a "Black America" with unified interests and needs. In his groundbreaking book Disintegration, longtime Washington Post journalist Eugene Robinson argues that, through decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America has shattered.
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Written for Popular Consumption
- By Catherine S. Read on 06-03-11
By: Eugene Robinson
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Bannon
- Always the Rebel
- By: Keith Koffler
- Narrated by: William LeRoy
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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To understand the Trump White House, you need to understand Steve Bannon: what's driving him, what his true role is, and what he's trying to accomplish on behalf of the American middle class. White House reporter Keith Koffler penetrates the fog surrounding the mysterious senior White House advisor, tracing Bannon's wild and distinctly American path to the White House in this first-ever honest biography of the controversial figure.
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The "real" Steve Bannon! Great read!
- By Amazon Customer on 12-20-17
By: Keith Koffler
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Makers and Takers
- By: Peter Schweizer
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In Makers and Takers, Peter Schweizer broadens his scope to examine the damaging effects of liberal philosophy on ordinary Americans. Drawing on national polls and academic studies, as well as the revealing testimony of liberals themselves, Schweizer shows that liberals are, on the whole, less honest, less generous, lazier, and more materialistic than their conservative counterparts.
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Excellent!
- By Eileen J. O'Connor on 03-08-16
By: Peter Schweizer
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An Inconvenient Book
- Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems (Unabridged)
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Glenn Beck
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The world is a mess. It seems that everywhere listeners turn, there's another problem. What is needed now are solutions. If only there was a man who could simplify things, cut through the rhetoric, and fix everything. Then, if he was just able to put all of that insight into something that people could buy...in a store and online...man, that would great. Wait a minute!
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Waste of Time and Money
- By Crystal on 04-11-09
By: Glenn Beck
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Bad News
- How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy
- By: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Narrated by: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
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Today’s newsrooms are propagating radical ideas that were fringe as recently as a decade ago, including “antiracism,” intersectionality, open borders, and critical race theory. How did this come to be? It all has to do with who our news media is written by—and who it is written for. In Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy, Batya Ungar-Sargon reveals how American journalism underwent a status revolution over the twentieth century—from a blue-collar trade to an elite profession.
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Balanced, informative, and insightful
- By J. B. Eibel on 06-06-22
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Willful Blindness
- Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
- By: Margaret Heffernan
- Narrated by: Margaret Heffernan
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
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Margaret Heffernan argues that the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don't see - not because they're secret or invisible, but because we're willfully blind. A distinguished businesswoman and writer, she examines the phenomenon and traces its imprint in our private and working lives, and within governments and organizations, and asks: What makes us prefer ignorance? What are we so afraid of? Why do some people see more than others? And how can we change?
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How Not to Be the Blind Leading the Blind
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What Unites Us
- Reflections on Patriotism
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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
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Stranger [Spanish Edition]
- By: Jorge Ramos
- Narrated by: Jorge Ramos, Harold Leal
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
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Jorge Ramos, periodista galardonado con premios Emmy, reconocido presentador del Noticiero Univisión y considerado "la voz de los sin voz" de la comunidad latina, fue expulsado de una rueda de prensa del candidato presidencial Donald Trump en Iowa en el año 2015 tras cuestionar sus planes sobre inmigración.
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Decepcionante narración
- By Amazon Customer on 08-23-18
By: Jorge Ramos
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Moyers on Democracy
- By: Bill Moyers
- Narrated by: Bill Moyers
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
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People know Bill Moyers mostly from his many years of path-breaking journalism on television. But he is also one of America's most sought-after public speakers. His appearances draw sell-out crowds across the country and are among the most reproduced on the Web. Richly insightful, and alive with a fierce, abiding love for our country, Moyers on Democracy is essential listening.
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You can't help but think critically
- By Ida F. on 09-29-09
By: Bill Moyers
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God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy
- By: Mike Huckabee
- Narrated by: Mike Huckabee
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
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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.
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Review
- By Dorothy Ella on 02-13-15
By: Mike Huckabee
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The Filter Bubble
- What the Internet Is Hiding from You
- By: Eli Pariser
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
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In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to MoveOn.org board president Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years: the rise of personalization.
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Now in the top 3 best books I've ever read
- By Brian Esserlieu on 05-26-11
By: Eli Pariser
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What listeners say about Them
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rainer
- 12-15-18
Read This!
Even if you don't agree with the authors prescription for healing our country, this book will help you see the political and social climate in our country in a new way. He does a remarkable job staying apolitical, even using example of "bad acters" from the right. If you choose not to read this book because he's a conservative, you're doing yourself a disservice.
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- Kevin Lawless
- 10-30-18
please take the time to read or listen.
I wish that all citizens who love America take the time to read this book.
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- Lucian Goodson
- 04-10-19
Great book read by the author
Well researched book on very pertinent subjects facing all Americans. A non-political book written by a politician seems oxymoronic, but Sen. Sasse pulled it off well.
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- Jason Morgan
- 12-09-19
A refreshing perspective!
This is NOT a political commentary. It is a plea to recognize the increasing divisiveness of our media outlets, technology, and shifting culture. It is a call to community and common decency again. I long to see this type of message spread far and wide, and for it to be well received and acted upon. Great perspective Ben!
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- Karl J. Wulff
- 02-10-21
Excellent for both liberals and conservatives
So I just finished Ben Sasse's "Them" this morning. It's brilliant. I recommend it whether you are a conservative or liberal, and I think it's particularly salient if you are a parent trying to raise kids in a rapidly changing and increasingly chaotic world, or just someone like me who feels worn down and disoriented by all of the political division and extremism. Ben takes us back to first principles on things like how to talk to your neighbors, how to create and protect the family space while increasing your connectedness to the community, and how to live a life of meaning and principle. His research is rigorous, his advice is rooted not only in the data but also in his values and personal experience, and his delivery is straight forward, approachable and warm. If you listen to the audiobook as I did, Sasse also narrates. This is a plus in this case, as his declamation comes across as both warm and professorial. Sasse is a natural teacher/coach. I really cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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- Student Startup, Inc
- 10-31-18
I like it muchly
very relevant and engaging difficulties of our modern America with a sharp insight and key issues identified with some practical ways to deal with digital world and neighborhoods and community.
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- Katie Gabriel
- 03-23-19
Every American should read
Ben Sasse provides excellent advice on how to root yourself in your local community improving your life and the lives of those around you.
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- Jacob
- 12-05-19
Couldn't Put it Down.
Yet another great book of wisdom for my generation and the generations behind mine. Also a great audio performance from the author.
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- BeckyJo64
- 02-25-24
Doing Life Better
"Them" is a rare book that challenges you to live a better life and be a better person who values family and community over shallow pursuits. Ben Sasse provides a lot on which to reflect. I'll be unpacking this one for a while.
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- J. Velez
- 12-21-18
Encouraging and Thoughtful
As a middle of the road, slightly left of center guy, I probably disagree with Senator Sasse on 95% of politics talking points. I felt like as a fellow citizen, I agreed with 99% of what Sasse wrote about here. There is a bigger tribe of reasonable humans out there than not, we just need more discussions like this one to drown out the noise.
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