When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists and the Road to Trumps America

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A rollicking, revelatory look at the tumult of the early 1990s and the rise of a new, more berserk America that birthed the Donald Trump Era THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . A BARACK OBAMA SUMMER PICK A rollicking, revelatory look at the tumult of the early 1990s and the rise of a new, more berserk America that birthed the Donald Trump Era 'When the Clock Broke is leagues more insightful on the subject of Trump's ascent than most writing that purports to address the issue directly' Washington Post 'Terrific . . . Vibrant . . . When the Clock Broke is one of those rarest of books- unflaggingly entertaining while never losing sight of its moral core' New York Times With the Soviet Union extinct, Saddam Hussein defeated and US power at its zenith, the early 1990s promised a 'kinder, gentler America'. It didn't work out that way. Instead, it was a period of punishing economic hardship, rising anger and domestic strife, setting the tone for the polarization and resurgent extremism we know today. In this original and often hilarious book, John Ganz narrates the fall of the Reagan order and the rise of a new kind of paranoid politics - how a group of con men, conspiracists and racists declared a culture war on liberal elites, rejected 'globalism' and called for a 'populist-based presidency' - that birthed Donald Trump's America. A rollicking expose of the end of the post-World War II order - this book shows the advent of a new, more berserk America. One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2024 One of the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2024 Longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award 2024

Reviews

A terrific new book . . . Vibrant . . . Ganz has the skills of a gifted storyteller--one with excellent comedic timing, too--slipping in the most absurd and telling details . . . Urgent and illuminating . . . When the Clock Broke is one of those rarest of books: unflaggingly entertaining while never losing sight of its moral core -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *
When the Clock Broke is leagues more insightful on the subject of Trump's ascent than most writing that purports to address the issue directly -- Becca Rothfield * Washington Post *
A fascinating shadow story of the 1990s -- Ezra Klein * The Ezra Klein Show *
John Ganz is a fantastic writer . . . When the Clock Broke is phenomenal . . . truly, truly great -- Chris Hayes * Why Is This Happening Podcast *
Lively and kaleidoscopic -- Andrew Marantz * New Yorker *
Masterly . . . Ganz spotlights the rage and rancour that spread beneath the surface of American life in a period now remembered for its peace and prosperity -- Kyle Burke * Times Literary Supplement *
A great book -- Michelle Goldberg * New York Times *
We should . . . pay greater heed to the ghosts of battles lost. That is the premise--and brilliant insight--of John Ganz's When the Clock Broke . . . Among its virtues, the greatest value of Ganz's book is that it delivers history in its richest context -- Edward Luce * Financial Times *
Superb . . . When the Clock Broke offers a compelling examination of a neglected and revealing period in American history . . . It is also one of the most entertaining history books I have read in years. Ganz has a novelist's skill at managing character, pacing, and plot, as well as a great eye for details that are telling, bizarre, and hilarious -- Daniel Geary * Irish Times *

Author Bio

John Ganz is the author of the widely acclaimed Unpopular Front newsletter for Substack and writes a monthly column for the Nation. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, New Statesman and other publications.