It can’t be easy to research that and find such disparaging results. Don’t dwell on it too much. As someone else said, those numbers are inflated by the writers and even the RNC buying those books in bulk to do just that. Please take good care of yourself. My cat Stella Bean just flopped onto the keyboard, requiring about 40 corrections to this short post. I think she’s telling me to suggest that petting Linden and Cap will help 😸. My best to you.
I think it's important to stay on top of what the other side is doing. Even if the results of the book lists are inflated the rest probably aren't. Besides, their having books on the bestsellers list gives them status.
I too think it is vitally important to stay current with what the other side is doing and saying.
A problem in doing so, speaking of myself, is that doing so can quickly and thoroughly cause despair which can lead to depression and depression to inaction. Especially (!!) in our current situation where republicans have clearly and unabashedly (without embarrassment or shame) chosen autocracy/fascism which lets their non-republican constituents know without a doubt that they do not matter. At all. And, if the repubs continue to use the fascist takeover handbook step by step as they are doing then I know that my comments to my three congressional reps on how much I disagree with them (and with regard to them voting no on voting rights I said all 3 were cowards and had clearly embraced fascism) has put my name and address on a list of people to be “re-educated” once they take control. Knowing this hasn’t stopped me from calling them to urge them to support democracy and specific laws but it does curdle my soul a bit. I suppose that curdling is in preparation for what I will have to endure - or face immediately if it is not “re-education” but a bullet to the head.
For those on here who are shaking their heads and protesting that ‘no way will they do that!’ I kindly suggest reading Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”, any part of Hannah Arendt’s work “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Substack Lucid - and especially today’s post which marks another step towards autocracy/fascism plus her book “Strongmen”. You can look up Masha Gessen’s excellent article “Autocracy: Rules for Survival” that she wrote on November 10, 2016th. I also cannot recommend enough the article “Somebody’s Baby” on currentaffairs.org (http://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/12/somebodys-baby). If you read it, remember - that happened a mere 3 years ago. His crime? Having brown skin and trying to create a better life for himself while donald trump and his goons were in charge. If none of that helps point out the realities we face then I suggest reading the actual Report from the torture at Gitmo. It is about 400 pages long and has sections redacted but what was left will horrify you if you have even a sliver of humanity within. After reading it remember this - those actions were not only allowed but actively pursued by President Bush and his goons and the two men who created that program still - STILL - work for our government and get paid by the same. If you think those of us who resist won’t be treated the same way then you aren’t paying attention. All the evidence of where we are currently headed is there.
Now, on the hope and ideas side - I recommend an article that was on medium.com on 16 Jan 2017 - “How to #StayOutraged Without Losing Your Mind” by Micah Curzer. Also, “Protest and persist: why giving up hope is not an option” by Rebecca Solnit, posted 13 March 2017 on theguardian.com; “How to survive gaslighting: when manipulation erases your reality” by Ariel Leve on 16 March 2017 posted on theguardian.com and lastly “A Young Activist’s Advice: Vote, Shave Your Head and Cry Whenever You Need to” by Emma Gonzalez on 5 October 2018 posted on nytimes.com. There are more articles and books on how to resist, how to stay involved and how to not lose your mind while doing so but these are the ones I have returned to repeatedly since 2016.
We must face the harshness of what is happening - as Mary does by investigating and then writing about it all here - no matter how ugly and awful. We must also support each other while doing so - which is also what Mary is doing here.
If my suggesting that you not dwell on it too much came across as flippant or bad advice, I do apologize. As you can see, I take all of this quite seriously. We do need moments of levity too though, as we go about this most important work of researching, revealing, keeping record and resisting. My best to all.
Kasumii, I concur with your analysis as far as hard cover books are concerned. I think that the RNC and other organizations, including the authors of the books, buy them in bulk. I’m going to check how many of those screeds are on sale at Rick bottom prices at Costco.
I read most of my books via my local library, accessing ebooks online using Libby, so I can enlarge the font on my e-reader snd read at night without needing to turn on a light and wake up my spouse! Does that figure in the statistics about the top rated books?
That's an interesting question re library books. I wonder if there's a way to find out.
So many book sales of right-wing books are manipulated but there's no way a book like Levin's American Marxism can stay on the list for over 20 weeks unless it's actually selling.
I didn't know about Libby--that's a great service.
Hi Ellen. Thanks for your reply. I don’t know if library statistics are added to book ratings online. If your library has a website they might have their own way of commenting on or liking books, including e-books. That’s a good question and now I’m curious to do some research on this.
I can’t use e-readers due to a rough concussion when in the military - it reset how my brain reacts to all computer screens due to the refresh rates. I have found that I can use screens about 20-30 minutes at a time, no more than 3 times a day. Otherwise, I am deluged with balance issues and eventually a migraine. So, I envy your ability to use e-books. (In a good way 🙂.) Regular books and audiobooks work for me so I’m still able to read.
As long as Rachel remains, I have hope. I started listening to Dr. Rachel Maddow way before she got her show, TRMS on MSNBC. I can honestly say I have learned so much from her and hope if she leaves MSNBC we will still be able to follow her and learn from her. What I love about her is her integrity, compassion, the unabashed love she shows for her country, and her storytelling.
I started listening to Rachel Maddow on Air American Radio in the early aughts. She had a show with Lizz Winstead and Chuck D--an interesting combination. 😂
We are on the side that the Union's framers wanted us to be. We are now dealing with a malignant variant of the Confederate mentality. They are feral, unstable, racist, violent, driven by the fear of "White Replacement." They threaten with guns, rebellion & Civil War.
The Confederacy formaly started the Civil War in the 1860s by shelling Fort Sumter.
On January 6, 2021 the nation's Capitol was attacked by a similar group of traitors leading to deaths.
WE ARE IN A CIVIL WAR NOW.
Way Beyond a Threat.
Democrats need to get tuff. Our Democracy is at stake.
I agree--the Democrats need to face up to the reality of the situation. Their Republican colleagues are betraying them and the American people and they need to act like it.
We need to pull rabbits out of our hats Mary. We're not out of hope yet, but we nearly are. I could go on and on, but it's not my space to write in. From what I see, we really need prosecutions and stiff sentences meted out before our time expires. Barring those, we need genuine miracles to occur. I would never be happier to be wrong about this.
I'm surprised that David Pepper's book Laboratories in Autocracy isn't high up. It's an incredible book that explains clearly how Democrats are losing and how and why GOP are winning. I'm seeing David Pepper on more and more podcasts. His daily whiteboards on twitter are a must read and follow.
The Right always has had better book sales et cetera. I chalk it up to folks on the Left spending their genuine American dollars on books that don't simply reinforce their political views. It's easy enough for Faux News to lead in the ratings because they are pretty much the only outlet for Trumpublicans while the rest of us look at a variety of information providers. The reason why everyone left of center supports so many causes is we have so many interests. We don't restrict our attention to just a few reassuring options. As a result, the Left spreads out and doesn't have the same numbers as Right-wing sources.
Mary, here are the links to the lists that you have cited (except for the last one - I cannot view the Apple lists on my Chromebook). This way your newsletter viewers can keep track of the information so you don't have to get depressed researching it for us.
I passed this book around to anyone I could talk into reading it several years ago (even reading a chapter or two was ok) because I was so alarmed by what was happening to our country! I would say well worth reading except that all of us see and understand what is happening in our country. One other quick note is that the GOP has been headed toward fascism for a whole lot of years. We really need to step up our ground game in order to head this off or even make a dent.
The fascists do indeed have the megaphone & I'd say the energy as well. One only has to look at the MAGA cult rally in AZ yesterday to see it. And the energy on the pro-democracy side seems to tragically be waning. Six years of fighting against the hate, lies & propaganda has left us depleted & exhausted. Why, if the majority of Americans agree with majority of Democratic policies, are we continuing to fight this stiff head wind? I don't have an answer. But I will continue to persevere & encourage others to do the same, as we solider on, fighting the good fight.
Good points. When I think I joined with 500,000 others for the Womens’ March on January 21, 2017 in DC, I want to scream, “where are you now”? Where are they? Why weren’t they in Austin, protesting daily the growing prohibition of womens health care and abortion rights? Why is this country moving backwards and why aren’t we doing anything to stop it?
Where are OUR LEADERS? I marched 50 years ago. Should I take to the streets again?
There was another book that in Sept. or Oct. made the top 10 that is really worth checking out: Hear Yourself, by Prem Rawat. This one is about consciousness, the subject I proposed for further discussion here, and a critical part of human evolution. Also, I have been thinking about my father and stepfather, who fought in WWII, and my mom who escaped Nazi Germany and thereby allowed me to be an American citizen by birth. I am thinking, too, about the other great Americans who fought desperately to save freedom and democracy, and about the original Revolutionaries who fought and died to create this amazing country for us. And I think the people who are trying to destroy this are ignorant, stupid, disrespectful, ungrateful, and dishonor my parents' generation as well as the Peace generation to which I belong, and all the work we did for human rights and peace. What they are doing is INSULTING to ALL the Americans who have given everything to save the freedoms that these assholes now abuse. No sense of appreciation or gratitude in any one of them. Just a bunch of whiny, spoiled brats is what I think they are!
I have long thought that OUR VOICES ( meaning everyone but the far right) need to step up our side in the political noise ( I just stopped myself from using the inappropriate words " debate" and "discourse" because the right is engaged in simple, repetitive BIG LIE propaganda). We need to do some brain flowering here, now that Mary has so correctly laid out the facts and posed the challenge. I wrote in an earlier comment that WE ourselves need to be the messaging machine for democracy and for Democrats (the only remotely functioning political party as distinct from the trumpublican cabal). If Mary agrees, let us pose solutions for attention getting ethically correct messaging to give them a run for public attention, tailored to ordinary folks with common sense.
As a psychologist you know that messages that appeal to strong negative emotions: anger, hate and fear, are more powerful than messages that are the result of reason, logic, thought. Your uncle and his ilk are skilled at selling the former which could be an explanation for the sale of their screed.
Citizens who are capable of reason, that higher function being beyond your uncle's capacity, must somehow be motivated to work to save our democracy by voting and by engaging in other pro-democracy activities. The fear of losing our democracy and anger toward those who are undermining it could be the strong negative emotions that could be put to work on our side.
Do you have any ideas about how to make that happen?
The podcast line up is TERRIFYING! Thank Gawd you are in the top 20, Mary, in Culture!
SO terrifying but better to know what we're dealing with.
It can’t be easy to research that and find such disparaging results. Don’t dwell on it too much. As someone else said, those numbers are inflated by the writers and even the RNC buying those books in bulk to do just that. Please take good care of yourself. My cat Stella Bean just flopped onto the keyboard, requiring about 40 corrections to this short post. I think she’s telling me to suggest that petting Linden and Cap will help 😸. My best to you.
I'm sure Stella Bean was just trying to help. 🙂
I think it's important to stay on top of what the other side is doing. Even if the results of the book lists are inflated the rest probably aren't. Besides, their having books on the bestsellers list gives them status.
She was. They always are in their own cat way.
I too think it is vitally important to stay current with what the other side is doing and saying.
A problem in doing so, speaking of myself, is that doing so can quickly and thoroughly cause despair which can lead to depression and depression to inaction. Especially (!!) in our current situation where republicans have clearly and unabashedly (without embarrassment or shame) chosen autocracy/fascism which lets their non-republican constituents know without a doubt that they do not matter. At all. And, if the repubs continue to use the fascist takeover handbook step by step as they are doing then I know that my comments to my three congressional reps on how much I disagree with them (and with regard to them voting no on voting rights I said all 3 were cowards and had clearly embraced fascism) has put my name and address on a list of people to be “re-educated” once they take control. Knowing this hasn’t stopped me from calling them to urge them to support democracy and specific laws but it does curdle my soul a bit. I suppose that curdling is in preparation for what I will have to endure - or face immediately if it is not “re-education” but a bullet to the head.
For those on here who are shaking their heads and protesting that ‘no way will they do that!’ I kindly suggest reading Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”, any part of Hannah Arendt’s work “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Substack Lucid - and especially today’s post which marks another step towards autocracy/fascism plus her book “Strongmen”. You can look up Masha Gessen’s excellent article “Autocracy: Rules for Survival” that she wrote on November 10, 2016th. I also cannot recommend enough the article “Somebody’s Baby” on currentaffairs.org (http://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/12/somebodys-baby). If you read it, remember - that happened a mere 3 years ago. His crime? Having brown skin and trying to create a better life for himself while donald trump and his goons were in charge. If none of that helps point out the realities we face then I suggest reading the actual Report from the torture at Gitmo. It is about 400 pages long and has sections redacted but what was left will horrify you if you have even a sliver of humanity within. After reading it remember this - those actions were not only allowed but actively pursued by President Bush and his goons and the two men who created that program still - STILL - work for our government and get paid by the same. If you think those of us who resist won’t be treated the same way then you aren’t paying attention. All the evidence of where we are currently headed is there.
Now, on the hope and ideas side - I recommend an article that was on medium.com on 16 Jan 2017 - “How to #StayOutraged Without Losing Your Mind” by Micah Curzer. Also, “Protest and persist: why giving up hope is not an option” by Rebecca Solnit, posted 13 March 2017 on theguardian.com; “How to survive gaslighting: when manipulation erases your reality” by Ariel Leve on 16 March 2017 posted on theguardian.com and lastly “A Young Activist’s Advice: Vote, Shave Your Head and Cry Whenever You Need to” by Emma Gonzalez on 5 October 2018 posted on nytimes.com. There are more articles and books on how to resist, how to stay involved and how to not lose your mind while doing so but these are the ones I have returned to repeatedly since 2016.
We must face the harshness of what is happening - as Mary does by investigating and then writing about it all here - no matter how ugly and awful. We must also support each other while doing so - which is also what Mary is doing here.
If my suggesting that you not dwell on it too much came across as flippant or bad advice, I do apologize. As you can see, I take all of this quite seriously. We do need moments of levity too though, as we go about this most important work of researching, revealing, keeping record and resisting. My best to all.
Kasumii, I concur with your analysis as far as hard cover books are concerned. I think that the RNC and other organizations, including the authors of the books, buy them in bulk. I’m going to check how many of those screeds are on sale at Rick bottom prices at Costco.
I read most of my books via my local library, accessing ebooks online using Libby, so I can enlarge the font on my e-reader snd read at night without needing to turn on a light and wake up my spouse! Does that figure in the statistics about the top rated books?
That's an interesting question re library books. I wonder if there's a way to find out.
So many book sales of right-wing books are manipulated but there's no way a book like Levin's American Marxism can stay on the list for over 20 weeks unless it's actually selling.
I didn't know about Libby--that's a great service.
Hi Ellen. Thanks for your reply. I don’t know if library statistics are added to book ratings online. If your library has a website they might have their own way of commenting on or liking books, including e-books. That’s a good question and now I’m curious to do some research on this.
I can’t use e-readers due to a rough concussion when in the military - it reset how my brain reacts to all computer screens due to the refresh rates. I have found that I can use screens about 20-30 minutes at a time, no more than 3 times a day. Otherwise, I am deluged with balance issues and eventually a migraine. So, I envy your ability to use e-books. (In a good way 🙂.) Regular books and audiobooks work for me so I’m still able to read.
As long as Rachel remains, I have hope. I started listening to Dr. Rachel Maddow way before she got her show, TRMS on MSNBC. I can honestly say I have learned so much from her and hope if she leaves MSNBC we will still be able to follow her and learn from her. What I love about her is her integrity, compassion, the unabashed love she shows for her country, and her storytelling.
I started listening to Rachel Maddow on Air American Radio in the early aughts. She had a show with Lizz Winstead and Chuck D--an interesting combination. 😂
Indeed
We are on the side that the Union's framers wanted us to be. We are now dealing with a malignant variant of the Confederate mentality. They are feral, unstable, racist, violent, driven by the fear of "White Replacement." They threaten with guns, rebellion & Civil War.
The Confederacy formaly started the Civil War in the 1860s by shelling Fort Sumter.
On January 6, 2021 the nation's Capitol was attacked by a similar group of traitors leading to deaths.
WE ARE IN A CIVIL WAR NOW.
Way Beyond a Threat.
Democrats need to get tuff. Our Democracy is at stake.
I agree--the Democrats need to face up to the reality of the situation. Their Republican colleagues are betraying them and the American people and they need to act like it.
We need to pull rabbits out of our hats Mary. We're not out of hope yet, but we nearly are. I could go on and on, but it's not my space to write in. From what I see, we really need prosecutions and stiff sentences meted out before our time expires. Barring those, we need genuine miracles to occur. I would never be happier to be wrong about this.
Accountability is absolutely crucial to our ability to succeed in saving democracy. As long as we can fight there is hope.
Agree 100%!!
I'm surprised that David Pepper's book Laboratories in Autocracy isn't high up. It's an incredible book that explains clearly how Democrats are losing and how and why GOP are winning. I'm seeing David Pepper on more and more podcasts. His daily whiteboards on twitter are a must read and follow.
It's on my list--can't wait to read it.
I agree. It’s an eye-opening book.
The Right always has had better book sales et cetera. I chalk it up to folks on the Left spending their genuine American dollars on books that don't simply reinforce their political views. It's easy enough for Faux News to lead in the ratings because they are pretty much the only outlet for Trumpublicans while the rest of us look at a variety of information providers. The reason why everyone left of center supports so many causes is we have so many interests. We don't restrict our attention to just a few reassuring options. As a result, the Left spreads out and doesn't have the same numbers as Right-wing sources.
That's a good point. Diversity is our strength but in some circumstances the right's ability to be in total lockstep gives them an advantage.
Mary, here are the links to the lists that you have cited (except for the last one - I cannot view the Apple lists on my Chromebook). This way your newsletter viewers can keep track of the information so you don't have to get depressed researching it for us.
Facebook's Top 10
https://twitter.com/facebookstop10?lang=en
NYT Bestsellers Hardcover Non-Fiction
https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/hardcover-nonfiction/
Amazon Bestsellers Hardcover Non-Fiction
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/157325011
Podcharts (News) [Please click on the arrow before / after the top-centered date to change the date.]
https://podcharts.co/charts/us/2022-01-16/news
Thanks, Caroline. This is really helpful. I'll include links going forward.
Thank you.
Madeline Albright wrote “Fascism” a yr or so ago - excellent!
I definitely have to read that.
I passed this book around to anyone I could talk into reading it several years ago (even reading a chapter or two was ok) because I was so alarmed by what was happening to our country! I would say well worth reading except that all of us see and understand what is happening in our country. One other quick note is that the GOP has been headed toward fascism for a whole lot of years. We really need to step up our ground game in order to head this off or even make a dent.
This crisis is decades in the making. And we really do need to step up.
The fascists do indeed have the megaphone & I'd say the energy as well. One only has to look at the MAGA cult rally in AZ yesterday to see it. And the energy on the pro-democracy side seems to tragically be waning. Six years of fighting against the hate, lies & propaganda has left us depleted & exhausted. Why, if the majority of Americans agree with majority of Democratic policies, are we continuing to fight this stiff head wind? I don't have an answer. But I will continue to persevere & encourage others to do the same, as we solider on, fighting the good fight.
Good points. When I think I joined with 500,000 others for the Womens’ March on January 21, 2017 in DC, I want to scream, “where are you now”? Where are they? Why weren’t they in Austin, protesting daily the growing prohibition of womens health care and abortion rights? Why is this country moving backwards and why aren’t we doing anything to stop it?
Where are OUR LEADERS? I marched 50 years ago. Should I take to the streets again?
There was another book that in Sept. or Oct. made the top 10 that is really worth checking out: Hear Yourself, by Prem Rawat. This one is about consciousness, the subject I proposed for further discussion here, and a critical part of human evolution. Also, I have been thinking about my father and stepfather, who fought in WWII, and my mom who escaped Nazi Germany and thereby allowed me to be an American citizen by birth. I am thinking, too, about the other great Americans who fought desperately to save freedom and democracy, and about the original Revolutionaries who fought and died to create this amazing country for us. And I think the people who are trying to destroy this are ignorant, stupid, disrespectful, ungrateful, and dishonor my parents' generation as well as the Peace generation to which I belong, and all the work we did for human rights and peace. What they are doing is INSULTING to ALL the Americans who have given everything to save the freedoms that these assholes now abuse. No sense of appreciation or gratitude in any one of them. Just a bunch of whiny, spoiled brats is what I think they are!
I didn’t think any of those extremists could read or write!
Oh, that's so funny! And so true.
As if I needed more reasons to be depressed. 😕
I have long thought that OUR VOICES ( meaning everyone but the far right) need to step up our side in the political noise ( I just stopped myself from using the inappropriate words " debate" and "discourse" because the right is engaged in simple, repetitive BIG LIE propaganda). We need to do some brain flowering here, now that Mary has so correctly laid out the facts and posed the challenge. I wrote in an earlier comment that WE ourselves need to be the messaging machine for democracy and for Democrats (the only remotely functioning political party as distinct from the trumpublican cabal). If Mary agrees, let us pose solutions for attention getting ethically correct messaging to give them a run for public attention, tailored to ordinary folks with common sense.
There are two sides to this problem. There is our Honest and Democratic side, and there is the side of Fantasy, Corruption and Lies.
You are on the side of Humanity. I listen, read and learn from everything you say.
Thank you Mary.
As a psychologist you know that messages that appeal to strong negative emotions: anger, hate and fear, are more powerful than messages that are the result of reason, logic, thought. Your uncle and his ilk are skilled at selling the former which could be an explanation for the sale of their screed.
Citizens who are capable of reason, that higher function being beyond your uncle's capacity, must somehow be motivated to work to save our democracy by voting and by engaging in other pro-democracy activities. The fear of losing our democracy and anger toward those who are undermining it could be the strong negative emotions that could be put to work on our side.
Do you have any ideas about how to make that happen?