What is driving the rise of fascism--and how can we stop it? In this singular investigation into the sinister realms of fascism and its many guises, Omer Aziz, author of the acclaimed Brown Boy and contributing writer for the Boston Globe, sets out to answer the question: Why are so many young people like him drifting to the ultranationalist right? Shadows of the Republic offers a haunting portrait of American fascism, how it began, and why it is now focused on immigration, technology, and the purification of society. Fascism is not coming to America; it has been here for a long time. With astringent clarity, Aziz traces the flaring up of fascist ideas in both American history and our current moment. From the dominance of the KKK, to the Nazi rally in New York in 1939, to the alliances between U.S. elites and European fascists, Aziz examines the long shadows of fascism. Traveling across the United States and Europe, he illuminates connections between street fascists and the ones in suits, between Hitler and the country across the ocean he so admired. Aziz examines culture in Germany and Italy in the 1930s, where propaganda ministers made people believe both everything and nothing, and he examines the apppeal of the far right among the very group it targets. Using interviews with experts and his own experience, he also offers an anti-fascist playbook to reinvigorate democracy and our civic life. Fascism is a precise term, cheapened by overuse. Yet when a word describes reality, we can't afford to ignore it. From the pulsing power of an ideology of the past to its comeback among even those with the most to lose, Shadows of the Republic offers the definitive story of American fascism--and what we can do to salvage democracy for years to come.
Omer Aziz is a journalist, lawyer, and former foreign policy advisor. He is the author of Brown Boy and has held residencies at MacDowell and Yaddo. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper's, New York magazine, the New York Times, and many other publications. Born to a working-class immigrant family, Aziz received his BA (honors) in politics from Queen's University in Canada, his MPhil in international relations from the University of Cambridge, and his JD from Yale University Law School.
"Fascism in the USA isn't just coming; it's here. Omer Aziz has written a book that should be an alarm bell announcing that the American house is on fire." --STEPHEN KING, bestselling novelist; author of The Shining and It, among other books "A comprehensive work on fascism and America's democracy." --BOB WOODWARD, investigative journalist and bestselling author of Fear and War, among other books "A provocative and passionate reminder that democracies don't collapse overnight--and that vigilance remains the price of continued freedom." --CALEB GAYLE, associate professor at Northeastern University; author of Black Moses and We Refuse to Forget "Fascism in America is not new and not imported: So argues Omer Aziz in this bracing account, informed by historical materials and interviews with well-placed observers. Shadows of the Republic can and should cut through current noisy distractions with its unflinching observations, historical evidence, and a young man's passionate quest for a democratic, inclusive future." --MARTHA MINOW, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard University, and former dean, Harvard Law School; author of Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History after Genocide and Mass Violence "This is the most important book that I have read in many years. It tells the story, over time and across the world, of how fascism comes to power. This beautifully written book shows us the deep roots of fascism in the United States, why we must be afraid, and what we must do now." --ERWIN CHEMERINSKY, dean and professor, University of California, Berkeley School of Law; author of No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States
