Yesterday we talked with the brilliant writer and journalist George Packer, author of The Assassin’s Gate, about the Iraq War and the evolution of the War on Terror, and The Unwinding, about the coming apart of the American social order in recent decades. He’s got a new book out, The Emergency, his first novel in more than 25 years, in which he takes on a question he’s often explored in his journalism: how can people who believe in very different foundational stories live together? We talked to Packer about:
What fiction writing allows him to explore that nonfiction can’t give him access to, and how he chooses one over the other
Why anxiety over the loss of control over children is so central to political conflict today
How he sees the cult-like forces of groupthink at work on both the left and the right
Why it’s so important to recapture and redefine patriotism and to articulate a positive vision of what America can be
You won’t want to miss this conversation. Just click on the video player above.
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Join us for more Live conversations this week!
Join us today, Wednesday, November 12, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, when the Ink Book Club meets with journalist and author Beth Macy to talk about her new book, Paper Girl. Then on Thursday, November 13, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, we welcome back messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio. And on Friday, November 14, at 1:15 p.m. Eastern, we’ll talk to author Vanessa Williamson about her new book on taxes, The Price of Democracy.
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