The Forever War

America’s Unending Conflict with Itself

By: Nick Bryant

Narrated by: Nick Bryant

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of When America Stopped Being Great, an insightful and urgent reassessment of America’s past, present and future – as a country which is forever at war with itself.

The Forever War tells the story of how America’s extreme polarisation is 250 years in the making, and argues that the roots of its modern-day malaise are to be found in its troubled and unresolved past.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the American experiment is failing. Division, mistrust and misinformation are now the country’s defining characteristics. The storming of the Capitol, the prosecution of Donald Trump and battles over gun rights and abortion raise the spectre of further political violence, and even the possibility of a second civil war.

Nick Bryant explains how the hate, divisiveness and paranoia we see today are in fact a core part of America’s story. Combining brilliant storytelling, historical research and first-hand reportage, Bryant argues that insurrections, massacres and civil disturbances should sadly not be seen as abnormalities; they are a part of the fabric of the history of America.

The compromises originally designed to hold the union together have never truly been resolved and today, a country that once looked so confidently to the future has become captive to its contentious past.

©2024 Nick Bryant (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

'Bryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America.' (Washington Post)

'America’s story rewritten with remarkable authority and affection. Unflinching and insightful. A great achievement.' (Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent)

'Nick Bryant combines wisdom with humour - this is a must-read book for all those who love America and want it to be healed.' (Justin Webb, presenter of the BBC's Today programme and Americast)

'Crackling with wit, historical understanding and wry insight, Nick Bryant’s brilliant new book demonstrates that the divisions which roil contemporary America are rooted in its deep history. The America that emerges from these pages is one defined by paradox: inspiring and dark, enlightened and violent, open and viciously exclusionary, a nation of effervescent ingenuity hampered by unreformable institutions. Bryant writes with the familiarity of a journalist who has spent decades living in the US but also with the outsider’s capacity for detachment and irony. This is the must-read book about America for 2024.' (Professor Adam Smith, Director of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford)

'A sharp study of the endemic battles that have blighted the U.S. throughout its existence. A perceptive look at America’s unresolved history.' (Kirkus Reviews)

Sadly, not as advertised. Very partisan view.

First, full disclosure: I only managed to get 1/3rd of the way through this book. After 1/3, I couldn't take any more. From the description of the book I was hoping for a non-partisan, historically-based view which would include helpful context around relevant social and political events. In addition, the reviews cite the "wit" and "humor" of the author. And given that the author is also the narrator, I had high hopes.
Sadly, I was bitterly disappointed. The author is highly partisan and this becomes clear within the first few sentences of the preface, let alone in the main text. His text and tone clearly show his complete bias towards the Democrat party and his distaste for Republicans. This immediately colors everything from that point on.
Then what follows is a stream of historical events around right-wing and racist organizations and events from the beginning of the Republic onwards. He suggests that most of these have not received the historical attention that they deserve (this may be true, but how is it relevant), and he provides his view of how these things are linked, and what event caused what subsequent event (with no explanation of evidence that his analysis is correct). After a while of this you could be forgiven for thinking that the USA has millions and millions of white supremacists and neo-nazis. But that simply isn't true. America's neo-nazis and potential "domestic terrorists" are tiny in number and, when they show themselves in public, are far more likely to arouse derision than fear.
Like most British, he completely misunderstands the unique nature of the American people's relationship with power. There has always been a healthy suspicion of politicians and government institutions. Indeed, Madison characterized this difference as "in Europe, charters of liberty are granted by power, but in America charters of power are granted by liberty". In other words, people grant politicians limited power on a limited basis. The government doesn't own us, if it worked properly it would be serving us.
Fatally for readability, there is absolutely no context to the stream of listing of random attacks by lunatics and mobs (all with supposed right-wing leanings) with each getting just a few seconds of time. It feels like being pummeled by a child saying, "this happened, then that happened, then more of this happened, and so on ad infinitum.
I can't believe that this was published at all as it has no historical or journalistic merit that I can discern. It's a complete mess and nothing at all like the description. And so far, not a trace of "wit" or "humor". Finally, one of the press reviewers (from the BBC) suggested that American's should read this book if they wanted to be "healed".
What nonsense, this is not a non-partisan, dispassionate look at the sources of our key issues that might allow some badly needed contemplation for healing, it feels more like a polemic designed to whip up anger towards the other side of the political spectrum than his own.