The Imperial Middle: Why Americans Can’t Think Straight About Class

Издательство: William Morrow and Company, Inc.

ISBN: 1-55710-023-3

The imperial Middle is at once a political battle cry and a work of impassioned social criticism by an author who has been at the forefront of the nation’s intellectual and cultural life for over 30 years.

The book’s theme is American fantasies about social class. Looking closely at how they infuse the stories our leaders and media tell us about ourselves, B. DeMott shows why these pervasive myths have brought our political institutions to a standstill in the face of contemporary crises.

He illustrates his case with precise and perfectly chosen examples from the canvas of American culture both highbrow and pop.

With an unerring eye, he cuts to the silent messages and hidden assumptions in episodes of The Cosby Show, reports in The NY Times, reviews of Aretha Franklin, performances by Robert De Niro, coverage of the  Oliver North trial and the case of Baby N. In a brilliant analysis, he shows how “The Omni syndrome” pervades equally White House oratory and our most prominent news media, and finds an explanation for it all in the role our history and schools have played in shaping our ruling myths.

This is a revolutionary book – one that brings us to see the things that are familiar in everyday life with a new eye. But most of all, it is a timely and brilliant expose of a nation out of touch with itself.