Shop Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Buy used:
$23.22
$3.99 delivery January 10 - 16. Details
Or fastest delivery January 6 - 9. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by srkn-b5
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: May have some writing or highlighting to text. May show general wear. Overall good condition.Thank you and Enjoy your book. :)
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Chris Hedges
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America Paperback – Bargain Price, January 8, 2008

by Chris Hedges (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 899 ratings
See all formats and editions
Twenty-five years ago, when Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists first spoke of the United States becoming a Christian nation that would build a global Christian empire, it was hard to take such hyperbolic rhetoric seriously. Today, such language no longer sounds like hyperbole but poses, instead, a very real threat to our freedom and our way of life. In American Fascists, Chris Hedges, veteran journalist and author of the National Book Award finalist War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, challenges the Christian Right's religious legitimacy and argues that at its core it is a mass movement fueled by unbridled nationalism and a hatred for the open society.

Hedges, who grew up in rural parishes in upstate New York where his father was a Presbyterian pastor, attacks the movement as someone steeped in the Bible and Christian tradition. He points to the hundreds of senators and members of Congress who have earned between 80 and 100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian Right advocacy groups as one of many signs that the movement is burrowing deep inside the American government to subvert it. The movement's call to dismantle the wall between church and state and the intolerance it preaches against all who do not conform to its warped vision of a Christian America are pumped into tens of millions of American homes through Christian television and radio stations, as well as reinforced through the curriculum in Christian schools. The movement's yearning for apocalyptic violence and its assault on dispassionate, intellectual inquiry are laying the foundation for a new, frightening America.

American Fascists, which includes interviews and coverage of events such as pro-life rallies and weeklong classes on conversion techniques, examines the movement's origins, its driving motivations and its dark ideological underpinnings. Hedges argues that the movement currently resembles the young fascist movements in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and '30s, movements that often masked the full extent of their drive for totalitarianism and were willing to make concessions until they achieved unrivaled power. The Christian Right, like these early fascist movements, does not openly call for dictatorship, nor does it use

physical violence to suppress opposition. In short, the movement is not yet revolutionary. But the ideological architecture of a Christian fascism is being cemented in place. The movement has roused its followers to a fever pitch of despair and fury. All it will take, Hedges writes, is one more national crisis on the order of September 11 for the Christian Right to make a concerted drive to destroy American democracy. The movement awaits a crisis. At that moment they will reveal themselves for what they truly are -- the American heirs to fascism. Hedges issues a potent, impassioned warning. We face an imminent threat. His book reminds us of the dangers liberal, democratic societies face when they tolerate the intolerant.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Free Press
  4. Publication date
    January 8, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
  6. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. America: The Farewell Tour
    Chris Hedges
     
    Paperback
    -8%$19.24
    List: $21.00
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  3. Death of the Liberal Class
    Chris Hedges
     
    Paperback
    -10%$17.99
    List: $19.99
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  4. Unspeakable
    Chris Hedges
     
    Paperback
    $16.99
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  5. The Greatest Evil is War
    Chris Hedges
     
    Paperback
    $14.70
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  6. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them
    Jason Stanley
     
    Paperback
    -12%$16.74
    List: $19.00
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
Next set of slides

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
899 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and a valuable addition to their understanding of religion. They describe it as an excellent read on a subject rarely covered by the mainstream media. The writing style is well-written, articulate, and gifted. Many readers appreciate the author's faith and theological critique. Opinions differ on the pacing - some find it fascinating and poignant, while others consider it frightening and challenging.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
InsightReadabilityWriting styleFaithPacingChristianity
71 customers mention "Insight"67 positive4 negative

Customers find the book insightful and elucidating. They say it's an important addition to their understanding of religion, religious leaders, and people of faith. The book provides useful insights into political and religious shifts since the 1970s. It also outlines a compelling case about the dangers of dominionist ideology.

"This is doubtless one of the most frightening but truest, most thought-provoking, most important books I have read this year, right alongside Al Gore..." Read more

"...The chapters, ten in all, describe various facets of the Christian right wing and how they use these facets to entice, overwhelm, convert and exploit..." Read more

"...The Bibliography is wonderful, and as a kind of demonstration of the depth of Hedges' inquiry, I want to cite some of the books from which he..." Read more

"...Nonetheless, it is an important addition to our understanding of religion, religious leaders, people of faith and the relationship between religion..." Read more

68 customers mention "Readability"68 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-researched. They say it's worth their time and a must-read for Patriots and Christians. Readers also mention it's an essential reading for progressive Americans.

"This is doubtless one of the most frightening but truest, most thought-provoking, most important books I have read this year, right alongside Al Gore..." Read more

"...All in all this was a great book and essential to understanding how dangerous and pervasive this ideology really is." Read more

"I wish I had written this book: It is so good and its about time...." Read more

"...in the past quarter century – but American Fascists is well researched and organized into ten chapters built upon common traits that all right-..." Read more

40 customers mention "Writing style"31 positive9 negative

Customers find the book well-written and articulate. They describe it as a readable, well-organized read with great clarity and powerful voice. The book includes extensive citations and quotes from relevant sources.

"...It confirmed, with extensive citation and quotes from the very ones propagating this dangerous agenda, what I was already aware of, but try my best..." Read more

"...Hedges documents this tragedy in a very readable book, that has foreshadowed our last presidential election...." Read more

"...Well educated, well traveled, objective, progressive, liberal minded, articulate and a free thinker...." Read more

"...There's just too much sloppy logic and vitriol...." Read more

11 customers mention "Faith"9 positive2 negative

Customers praise the book for its faith-based content. They find it helpful for Baptists and religious leaders, providing a theological critique. The author is described as a truthteller and well-researched.

"...addition to our understanding of religion, religious leaders, people of faith and the relationship between religion and politics in America." Read more

"...These people are Bible literalists, actually semi-literalists, because they cherry pick the more vicious biblical edicts...." Read more

"The first thing I appreciated about this book was that it was written by a man of faith...." Read more

"...education in a more progressive tradition provides a very helpful theological critique...." Read more

38 customers mention "Pacing"22 positive16 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it interesting and poignant, with a frightening perspective. Others describe it as disturbing, challenging, and provocative.

"This is doubtless one of the most frightening but truest, most thought-provoking, most important books I have read this year, right alongside Al Gore..." Read more

"I found this book to quite frightening because while being a christian myself I have often found the hard line views of the christian right to be..." Read more

"...It's fascinating stuff and, it's happening...." Read more

"...It's over done and for anyone that is fundamentalist, that might read this book, it causes an immediate shutdown to the message contained..." Read more

14 customers mention "Christianity"8 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on Christianity. Some find the book insightful and helpful in understanding American fascism. Others criticize extremist Christian fundamentalism, claiming it's not a religious movement but is peddling lies in the name of religion to grab power. The book exposes extremist views and methods, and some Christians cannot reconcile themselves to them.

"...These symbols contain no whiff of fascism themselves, of course, but an American fascism would transform them into obligatory litmus tests for..." Read more

"...Hedges also shows his anger at the ways that this movement has betrayed Christianity...." Read more

"This is a well researched book on a timely topic - Christian nationalism in the United States...." Read more

"...It is just that Christians cannot reconcile themselves to it, and are desperately searching for a way out, a magical trap door, which becomes solely..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jennie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying, but Extremely Important
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This is doubtless one of the most frightening but truest, most thought-provoking, most important books I have read this year, right alongside Al Gore's The Assault on Reason The Assault on Reason. It confirmed, with extensive citation and quotes from the very ones propagating this dangerous agenda, what I was already aware of, but try my best to assume more benevolence of. I have long been conscious of the intolerance of the Christian right of those who are different from themselves, who have differing beliefs or customs or backgrounds or desires. I had no idea how much political influence they had until the 2004 election; I was so sure that Kerry had it in the bag, when I heard how many people had gone out to vote, until I learned that the bulk of those unexpected voters were evangelists who cared more about making sure homosexuals were denied equal rights and eradicating the right to choice than protecting their own rights as workers and as citizens, protecting their own financial interests, ending a senseless and costly war. That election sent shivers down my spine, and indeed I left the country for a year and a half after that--for unrelated reasons, but it made me glad to leave.

    Now I am back; a new election is underway, and I see the Christian Right's influence more and more every day. They are the largest special interest group in the country, and they seek to destroy American democracy and the Constitution in its very name. I am terrified that if McCain and his right-wing VP pick win, we will be making still more concessions to this group whose ultimate goal is the repression and eventual eradication of all people who are not among their ranks. Hedges does nothing to assuage my fears--indeed, he stokes them. I am more afraid than I have ever been. Reading the way Christian textbooks have rewritten history and science to make it agree with their narrow beliefs, the way they promote intolerance towards other countries and other religions--there could not be a more appropriate title for the book than the one it has. His comparison of the dominionists to other totalitarian movements, including Islamic fundamentalist movements, communism, Nazism, Mussolini-fascism, ring extremely true. The parallels are clear, and he supports his claims with quotes from the mouths and the literature of those in charge of these movements, as well as including plenty of insight into the minds of those following blindly in these movements that seek to subjugate them and remove their rights. They fight avidly for their own repression. It's incredible, yet true.

    An excellent book. I highly recommend it to anyone. The fact that Hedges comes from a religious background himself--having completed Harvard Divinity seminary--makes it all the more credible; one cannot dismiss it as a mere attack on religion by an atheist fundamentalist. I myself am an atheist, but I have always respected the rights of others to practice their own religions, whether or not I feel they actually benefit society in any meaningful way when compared to their destructive force. Then again, equally repressive regimes have been built in opposition to religion, so I suppose it is human nature ultimately that makes man strive for his own subjugation and destruction.

    A must-read...especially in these crucial times, when yet another President is about to be elected. I only wish it would be read more widely before November than it probably will be.
    13 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • MaximumG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Something to be worried about
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book to quite frightening because while being a christian myself I have often found the hard line views of the christian right to be not only repugnant but a violation of democratic ideals.

    They propose returning to what they call is a christian nation and yet fail to misunderstand that the founding fathers of America put a barrier between church and state for the very protection of the nation itself for hat I believe was to ensure that all human being irregardless of their race or religion would be treated equally and if one religion organisation was running of the country it would automatically see those a not of their own religion as a threat to there authority just like the catholic church saw the Cathars and the idea of living in a world run by these christian fundamentalists is quite scary considering what some of them propose.

    The book begins with the author stating out by talking about his early life and about how his father was a priest who supported the civil-rights movement which was highly unpopular in his rural area and who then worked a gay-rights activist and who found out when his son's college had no gay and lesbian organization he got his son (the author of this book) to setup a gay and lesbian organization even though he wasn't gay himself.

    In the same chapter it also talks about faith and how there are many violent passages in the bible and how these passages are used by bigots to justify their bigotry and how until the Church's of the world step in to the debate that these passage will be used evil people to promote evil things.

    The book then moves on to how the Christian right helped to get George W Bush elected and the power and political influence that it has within the republican party and how they promote a culture of despair that prey on the disillusioned and troubled people of society but offering them the solutions to their problems if only they listen to their pastor or donate money to the tv pastors who themselves are rich and take money of these poor people give in the hope that God will help them.

    It talks about how this new culture of dominionist are attempting to destroy democracy from within (hence the title America fascist) and replace it with a totalitarian one in which the male pastors are seen as the leader of society and represent gods authority and as such we are supposed to do what they say.

    Dominionism is a ideology that proposes that all Christians should work towards either a nation governed by Christians or one governed by conservative christian understanding of Biblical law and considering the things I have heard conservative christians say like for instance the Westboro Baptist Church I shudder to think what it would be like to live in society dictated by these people.

    It also talks about how the reason that gay and lesbians are hated within the christian right is because they violate their idea of what a man and woman should be and sign a man is supposed to masculine the idea of a gay man is repugnant to them.

    One of the most explosive truths present in this book is the christian right relationship to white supremacist groups including individual such as Jerry Falwell who was a racist who in his sermon attacked not only the civil rights movement but also promoted racism against African Americans who in the 90's conveniently changed his tune.

    The crescendo of this book is the leadup to apocalyptic violence that this group proposes and what it will lead to. These dominionists promote a violent end of times war and that the whole non-christian world is against them creating an ideology to the followers that they are under attack by the whole world and how someone cannot be a liberal and a christian at the same time which is very similar to the belief that the wahhabi extremist terrorist groups (such as al qaeda) and there followers propose.

    The books then ends with by with a letter by Mr Hedges ethics teacher who in a letter about WW2 pointed that American who had resisted the Nazi Regime but who were racist against african american and Jews hada very similar if not the same racial ideologies of racial superiority and thus if it was so what was the point in them having fought against the Nazis if not to topple their government based on racial superiority.

    The reason the above letter is so important is because the christian right has often promoted intolerance towards homosexual, Muslims, Jews and used this idea of values just like the Nazi's used in Germany to undermine the civil rights of the people in order to promote their view of how a government should be and pass marshall law.

    These right wing dominionists are a threat to America's democracy and are trying to undermine it at every turn and they use the ideology of values to do just like the nazi's did to promote their violently intolerant views on issues and call for exclusion, intolerance and cruelty all in the name of God.

    All in all this was a great book and essential to understanding how dangerous and pervasive this ideology really is.
    33 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Bill F
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just started, looks great
    Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Just started the book and it puts into words and explanations what my fears about far right ideologies were.
    Report
  • Johnny B
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Book everyone who values freedom should read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Democracy is something you either participate in, value and defend, or you will find one day that you don't have it anymore. This book provides a comprehensive description and insight into the organisations presently active in the determined attempts to obliterate the Democracy you take for granted.

    This is a war that the Christian Fundamentalists are hoping to win by stealth. In this war the application of knowledge is power and they are depending on your ignorance that their ultimate objective that one day you will wake up and find that you are in a totalitarian state governed under the rule of a book of magic.
    Report
  • Kindle CustomerLRBH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived quickly. Good read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Well worth a read. As relevant today as when it was written.
    Report
  • Thomas A Hebert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    More relevant now than when it was written.
    Report
  • David Young
    4.0 out of 5 stars American Fascists.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting analysis of the mutual interests of the religious right,big business and right wing politics in the US.It also examines the hidden anti-democratic agenda of the religious right as well as the alleged subterfuge used in attempting to realize its vision for setting up a christian theocracy in America and what it might mean for those who do not share its values.
    Report