The MAGA Diaries

My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (and How I Got Out)

De: Tina Nguyen

Narrado por: Tina Nguyen

This explosive “must-read for anyone who cares about the future of our democracy” (Brian Stelter, New York Times bestselling author) chronicles the rise of the MAGA movement from acclaimed political journalist Tina Nguyen, who began her career—and her education—on the ground levels of the conservative recruiting machine.

Her very first job was working for a little-known journalist named Tucker Carlson. She’s chugged Mountain Dews with the first Breitbart writers, poured over conspiracy theories from COVID-19 deniers, and visited the apocalyptic Patriot Church deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. The right is now a MAGA cult. And Tina Nguyen knows because she was raised by it, back when it wasn’t one.

In 2008, in the weeks leading up to the election of Barack Obama, Nguyen was a history-loving, politics-obsessed college student at Claremont McKenna College, drawn there by a boyfriend—and a research institute called the Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom. Swept up by pro-America rhetoric and promises of a career in journalism, Nguyen was drawn into the world of right-wing student activism, and the early days of the movement now known as MAGA.

In The MAGA Diaries, she tells not only her story of loving and leaving the conservative movement but the history of the right wing, painting a shocking picture of how they recruit, train, and indoctrinate generations of young people and shape them into the influential leaders and the supporting cast of tomorrow’s Republican party. They are ruthless in building robust networks of power, even if it means demolishing entire civic institutions, from women’s rights to fair elections—and staging a coup when it doesn’t work out.

In this “sobering, endlessly readable fly-on-the-wall account of creeping fascism” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Nguyen pulls back the curtain on the conservative machine, shining a light on the systematized on-ramp for young Republicans. These are the new leaders of the right, and it’s urgent we start paying attention.

©2024 Tina Nguyen (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Confused

Author's story is worthwhile, but convoluted. It is still hard for me to understand the Why in this narrative.

Loved this

I listened to the audio book here. I recommend you do the same. / This is the first audio book that I did as much binge-listening to. Finished it in a day, which is uncommon for me. / Plus, I actually felt challenged by passages in a way that I believe move me forward in a way I think I’ll be processing for at least a little while. I’m tempted to tell you which chapters made me think (13, but only after reading the context). / While very engaging, I hold back on the 5th star on the basis that a lot of people are locked into their personal ideology and won’t appreciate being challenged about that. I’ll enthusiastically tell my liberal friends about my experience listening to this book. But I’ll also feel obliged to tell them it’s the story of alternate versions of reality to what they’ll want to hear. And the epilogue could have been held for the prologue of a sequel. Which I look forward to. Shit is happening so fast, it’s problematic to try to catch up by adding a forced addendum.

Not sure what to think.

I suppose I was expecting to understand the "and how I got out" byline better by listening to this book.

While there was a wealth of information on the rights early grooming techniques and sources (which was fascinating), I'm not sure the " how I got out" is addressed. There are career path choices made for normal reasons like making a living, but I don't think the term " how I got out " was addressed. As someone desperately trying to understand family Magas (why I chose to purchase it) it wasn't very insightful.

While the attempt is appreciated and the information on the workings on the far right is also appreciated, I'm not any closer to understanding the Maga movement. How you get pulled in as well as how you can get out.

Not as interesting as it was hyped up to be

Mostly kind of boring… on and on about insignificant gatherings and events. Not nearly as interesting as I thought it would be from all the hype it got..

And her voice (like the skit with the back of the throat growing barista girl) is really annoying after time…

Get Enough, by Cassidy Hutchinson
Way better insider story

How the author expressed herself. I loved it! I'll have to re-listen because it was so interesting.

I wished we had more. please let us know how your life turns out. I hope you continue to grow. I still an too.

Soooooooo Insightful!

I learned so much about the MAGA movement and its antecedents. I follow the author’s reporting in Puck. So good.

Memoir of a stranger

I heard her on a podcast and wanted to hear more about her journey into and out of the maga movement. What I got was the life story of someone I’ve never heard of, with all the minutiae of her life and education. It felt like the story of her more than the story of a movement. I kept waiting for it to hit its stride but by the halfway mark I was eager for it to be over.

She’s a fine writer but not everyone should narrate their story. This is just my Monk-brain getting hyper focused on a weird thing I notice, but the way she says “stipend” was new to me, and I hated it. But that’s a me problem I suppose.

There are good details in here about some key players in the magaverse, but the way she always connected them to herself or inserted them into her personal narrative was exhausting.

Giving it all 3 stars because it might just be that I’m overly critical of authors that make the story about themselves. But then again, it may just not be a great book.

Vindicating for anyone accused of being alarmist

Through Nguyen’s vivid narration, I can recall where I was during events in this memoir, right up to attending an event booked at the Gaylord Resort the very same weekend of The Heritage Foundation’s shindig. Despite labeling the Democratic Party as left-wing (a common error), I appreciate her breakdown of their sloppy ground game, and how the GOP’s carefully cultivated long-term plans came to fruition, and provided fertile ground for the MAGA movement. I won’t say more – dive right in!

A Unique Perspective and a Compelling Story

The author offers an angle into the conservative movement few others can offer, coming up as an insider in their academic sphere and then drifting away into mainstream journalism before Trump's entry onto the political landscape.
Tina's perspective becomes especially informative in the final chapters, where she draws connections between the academic conservatives she grew up with and more visible MAGA leaders. She clarifies events from the past decade and does it with style.

Excellent Insight Into The Personalities And Ecosystem Of The Right

From dating Chuck Johnson in prep school and college, to her white supremacist mentor John Elliott at IHS, to working for and wanting to be Tucker Carlson, Tina Nguyen writes about her journey through the right, her escape from the right-wing media ghetto and her career chronicling the American right with a depth of insight gained from knowing the people and institutions involved.

Another plus is she narrates her own story rather than relying on a professional reader. 5 stars.