The Midnight Kingdom

A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis

De: Jared Yates Sexton

Narrado por: Jared Yates Sexton

From the author of American Rule and the host of The Muckrake Podcast, an ambitious account of how white supremacist lies, religious mythologies, and poisonous conspiracy theories built the modern world and threaten to plunge us into an authoritarian nightmare.

To fully understand these strange and dangerous times, Jared Yates Sexton takes a hard look at our nation’s history: namely, the abuses committed by those in power and the comforting stories that shaped the way the West has viewed itself up to the present. As reactionaries and authoritarians cling to myths about “Western civilization,” The Midnight Kingdom exposes how political power, religious indoctrination, and economic dominance have been repeatedly weaponized to oppress and exploit, sounding an alarm for what lies ahead as the current order frays.

Beginning with the Roman Empire and racing through centuries of colonization, war, genocide, and the recurring clashes of progress and regression, Sexton finds our modern world at a crossroads. In an echo of past crises, we have arrived at a time of historic inequality and a fading trust in our institutions. Meanwhile, authoritarianism is gaining momentum and the progress of the twentieth century is being rolled back at dizzying speed. This catastrophic moment holds terrible potential for a return to a totalitarian past or, potentially, a better, realer, more human future. The difference depends on a true reckoning with our history and the larger forces at play or hiding behind this disastrous fantasy of Western superiority.

Bracing and compelling, The Midnight Kingdom takes a critical look at the forces that have shaped human civilization for centuries—and invites us to seek a radically different future.

©2023 Jared Yates Sexton (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"An episodic jeremiad in the best tradition of that word, The Midnight Kingdom is warning and lament, a people’s history of apocalypse in the mind and actions of Western empire from the Great Fire of Rome to the Trumpocene. In print and by podcast, Jared Yates Sexton has been steadily expanding his deep inquiry into the ideas that informed his own fundamentalist roots and now shape today’s Christian nationalist attack on the democratic dream. This book is Sexton’s most ambitious yet, powered by cool anger but girded with the hope that even at this late hour gives his work its beautiful strength.”—Jeff Sharlet, bestselling author of The Family and The Undertow

“The Midnight Kingdom is a gripping read that flirts with but never gives in to cynicism. Solid writing that dives into generous detail without ever over-explaining bolsters Sexton’s well-researched appeal.”—New York Journal of Books

“The Midnight Kingdom is a gripping read that flirts with but never gives in to cynicism. Solid writing that dives into generous detail without ever over-explaining bolsters Sexton’s well-researched appeal.”—New York Journal of Books

A Must Read

This important work needs to be read and spread by all serious people wishing to understand the brutal truth of western civilization. While many will no doubt ridicule this charting of our history, it will be because this book tells the truth. It is the truth many of us have suspected all along and, thankfully, it is finally being stated right out loud.

Jared Yates Sexton also signals ways for us - we the people - to create a new and healthier human civilization. May it be so.

A must read

A look at History not available in most books. Gave me a new way of seeing the world not from the view of the “winners” but a look at consequences and the unintended results of actions, behaviors, and beliefs. I believe everyone should read this book but not everyone will like it

Important read to prevent history from repeating itself

Important read when it comes to understanding set how we got here. History is most definitely repeating itself. Jared has an incredible way of breaking down and connecting the dots across historical periods.

Those Who Do Not Know The Past...

Jared Yates Sexton provides a compelling historical overview of the insanity that is Christian conservatism, further reinforcing Christopher Hitchens' conclusion that religion poisons everything. From ancient Rome to the modern-day Trump circus, Sexton illustrates how religious nuttery, racism, and Republicanism have become so deeply enmeshed that it is now utterly impossible to have one without the other.

He also shows that not only are modern-day Republican values utterly reprehensible but entirely unoriginal, with their apocalyptic world views intertwined with their skewed views of patriotism virtually unchanged and unchallenged for centuries. Fitting, I suppose, for such a backwards political party that strives to do little more than usurp power at all costs and turn the clock back to the Dark Ages.

The Midnight Kingdom is, ultimately, Exhibit A for why Republicans so badly want to ban books and endlessly work to undermine and attempt to eradicate science, history, and education.

Too fast

Great book, but the writer reads way too fast.. had to play it at 0.8 speed most of the way through. Great voice, detailed writing, but spoken way too fast.

This is a FANTASTIC book

I was deeply immersed in this material and enjoyed the author’s narration. I’ve been studying a number of topics covered here separately: Roman history, WWI & WWII. The American Revolution. Christian mythicism. Trumpism. Sexton brought all of this together, along with the influence of philosophers. I need to study more philosophy, but until reading this book I was unaware of their strong influences. I listened on Audible, my husband bought on Kindle and I sent the hardcover to my son. It’s that important a book.

Perspective

Absolutely essential context and perspective for understanding the present American political moment. Highly recommend all of the author’s work.

enthralling

the patterns that start to emerge become so obvious by the end and .... amazing listen, glad to hear it from the author

Fear and Loathing

This a sweeping history of religion, power and paranoia and how these forces are intertwined in our culture and politics. Sexton relates the story of his grandmother, a fundamentalist obsessed with the apocalypse, and sends us on a journey back in time to see how this worldview has shaped the American spirit. Some readers might find the book lacking deep analysis or big solutions, which is fair, but I enjoyed the historical tour from this angle. As someone whose own grandmother was a Christian Nationalist and white supremacist, this book helped me understand how she got that way and why. I definitely recommend the book if you like to get freaked out about impending societal collapse. I’m going with a Fear Porn rating of 7/10.

Everyone needs to hear this! Left and Right.

Give this as a gift to everyone you can think of.
Jared Yates Sexton deserves better recognition as a great mind and historian. This is NOT a boring history book. It is accessible and dynamic background information which can help us understand how the country got into this polarized state of being and then, hopefully, inspire readers and listeners to understand we need to take action RIGHT NOW. We do that by getting and staying engaged.

This information should not only be for academics and politicians but for ALL OF US. Especially those who "don't want to talk about politics" This book and especially the audible version makes it accessible. That is the essence of democracy.

It gives comprehensive background about authoritarian and fascist movements going back over time. Anyone who thinks this recent behavior will end with Trump is missing crucial background information.

If you are doing a paper on the Burning Times- or the Witch Burnings of the middle ages, you will find reference material here.

I am hopeful humanity can turn a corner and "be excellent to each other" in the words of Bill and Ted and paraphrasing "Jesus". The more of us who understand the tendency for authoritarians to do whatever it takes to dominate and control others to grab power, and how prevalent that has been throughout world history, and how decent people get misled, the more likely we are to circumvent those attempts together in solidarity.