- 287 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
This
New York Times bestseller "argues that Americans are richer, more informed and 'connected' than everâand unhappier, more isolated and less fulfilled" (George Will,
The Washington Post).
Something is wrong. We all know it.
American life expectancy is declining. 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, former US 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 straightâand it bubbles out as anger.
Local communities are collapsing. Across the nation, little leagues and Rotary clubs are dwindling, and in all likelihood, we don't know the neighbor two doors down. Work offers less security, few lifelong coworkers, shallow purpose. Stable families and enduring friendshipsâlife's fundamental pillarsâare in statistical freefall. As a result, we rally against common enemies so we can feel part of a team. Foreign adversaries use technology to exploit these toxic divisions by sowing misinformation and mistrust, to confuse us, exhaust us, make us angryâand thereby make us weaker.
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.
"Sasse is highly attuned to the cultural sources of our current discontents and dysfunctions. . . . an attempt to diagnose and repair what has led us to this moment of spittle-flecked rage. . . . a step toward healing a hurting nation." â National Review
"Perhaps at last we have a politician capable of writing a good book rather than having a dull one written for him." â The Wall Street Journal
"Unpretentious, thoughtful, and at times, quite funny . . . his arguments are worth readingâas are his warnings about what our country might become." âNPR
Something is wrong. We all know it.
American life expectancy is declining. 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, former US 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 straightâand it bubbles out as anger.
Local communities are collapsing. Across the nation, little leagues and Rotary clubs are dwindling, and in all likelihood, we don't know the neighbor two doors down. Work offers less security, few lifelong coworkers, shallow purpose. Stable families and enduring friendshipsâlife's fundamental pillarsâare in statistical freefall. As a result, we rally against common enemies so we can feel part of a team. Foreign adversaries use technology to exploit these toxic divisions by sowing misinformation and mistrust, to confuse us, exhaust us, make us angryâand thereby make us weaker.
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.
"Sasse is highly attuned to the cultural sources of our current discontents and dysfunctions. . . . an attempt to diagnose and repair what has led us to this moment of spittle-flecked rage. . . . a step toward healing a hurting nation." â National Review
"Perhaps at last we have a politician capable of writing a good book rather than having a dull one written for him." â The Wall Street Journal
"Unpretentious, thoughtful, and at times, quite funny . . . his arguments are worth readingâas are his warnings about what our country might become." âNPR
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Yes, you can access Them by Ben Sasse in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Civics & Citizenship. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Preface to the Paperback Edition
- Introduction: More Politics Canât Fix This
- Part I: Collapsing Tribes
- 1. Our Loneliness Epidemic
- 2. Strangers at Work
- Part II: Anti-Tribes
- 3. The Comforts of Polititainment
- 4. The Polarization Business Model
- Part III: Our To-Do List
- 5. Become Americans Again
- 6. Set Tech Limits
- 7. Buy a Cemetery Plot
- 8. Be a Smarter Nomad
- Conclusion: We Need More Tribes
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Index
- About the Author
- Also by Ben Sasse
- More Praise for Them
- Newsletter Sign-Up
- Contents
- Copyright