Fantasyland

By Kurt Andersen,

Book cover of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History

Book description


You're entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts

Fantasy is the USA's primary product. From the Pilgrim Fathers onward America has been a place where renegades and freaks came in search of freedom to create their own realities with little objectively regulated truth standing in their way.


When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Fantasyland as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The co-creator of SPY magazine, Kurt Andersen was my hero in high school. He’s been an NPR radio host, a novelist, a magazine editor, and a co-author with Alec Baldwin on their Trump book. But this book feels like all the thinking he’s done in those places put in one place. It’s a textbook of American history from the Puritans until today, through the lens of our special predilection for conspiracy, con artists, and fabulists, both on the left and the right, and how it all culminates in the 1960s. So smart, so funny, so jealous.

From Joel's list on saving democracy from populism.

This book offers an insightful exploration of why Americans make the decisions they do, as individuals and as a society. It makes a compelling case that Americans are distinct in our flightiness, our failure to perceive and live in reality. This explains both the allure and promise of America, as well as much of its weirdness and its failures.

From Steven's list on why people make the decisions they do.

If you love Fantasyland...

Ad

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? by Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places


Want books like Fantasyland?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Fantasyland.

Browse books like Fantasyland

Book cover of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
Book cover of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Book cover of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,738

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Fantasyland, you might also like...

Book cover of Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink

Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink by Ethan Chorin,

Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of


Book cover of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

Uniting the States of America by Lyle Greenfield,

We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike. 

My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in pop culture, fake news, and civilization?

Pop Culture 166 books
Fake News 17 books
Civilization 225 books