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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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THE END OF WHITE POLITICS

Zerlina Maxwell

How to Heal Our Liberal Divide

In the entire history of the United States of America:
We've never elected a woman as our president
We've only had one president who is not a white man.
After working on two presidential campaigns (for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton), MSNBC political analyst and SiriusXM host Zerlina Maxwell gained first-hand knowledge of everything liberals have been doing right over the past few elections-and everything they are still doing wrong. Ultimately, these errors worked in President Donald Trump's favor in 2016; he effectively ran a campaign on white identity politics, successfully tapping into white male angst and resistance. In 2020, after the Democratic Party's most historically diverse pool of presidential candidates finally dwindled down to Joe Biden, once again an older white man, Maxwell has posed the ultimate question: what now, liberals?

Fueled by Maxwell's trademark wit and candor, The End of White Politics dismantles the past and present problems of the Left, challenging everyone from scrappy, young "Bernie Bros" to seasoned power players in the "Billionaire Boys' Club." No topic is taboo; whether tackling the white privilege that enabled Mayor Pete Buttigieg's presidential run, the controversial #HashtagActivism of the Millennial generation, the massive individual donations that sway politicians toward maintaining the status quo of income inequality, or the lingering racism that debilitated some Democratic presidential contenders and cut their promising campaigns short, Maxwell pulls no punches in her fierce critique. However, underlying all of these individual issues, Maxwell argues that it's the "liberal-minded" party's struggle to engage women and communities of color-and its preoccupation with catering to the white, male working class-that threatens to be its most lethal shortfall.

The times-and the demographics-are changing, and in order for progressive politics to prevail, we must acknowledge our shortcomings, take ownership of our flaws, and do everything in our power to level the playing field for all Americans. The End of White Politics shows exactly how and why progressives can lean into identity politics, empowering marginalized groups, and uniting under a common vision that will benefit us all.

ZERLINA MAXWELL is an MSNBC political analyst, commentator, speaker, and writer. She is also the Senior Director of Progressive Programming for SiriusXM and the cohost of the award-winning radio show, Signal Boost.
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Book

Published 2020-07-07 by Hachette Book Group - New York (USA)

Comments

[This book shows exactly how] uniting under a common vision... will benefit us all.

An imperative read for our times. Arguing we need to lean into identity politics, Maxwell explains what we need to do - now - to move the Democratic party, and the nation, forward.

THE END OF WHITE POLITICS is a TIME, "100 MUST READ BOOKS OF 2020" and "Best New Books of July The Root, "100 most influential African Americans of 2020" EBONY, "Black Books List Ms. Magazine, "Best of the Rest 2020" and "July 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us" Fortune, "7 New Books to Read in July" Project Censored, "Summer Reading List (2020)" LibroFM, "Hot New Releases" Rewire News Group, "10 Last-Minute Holiday Gifts"

Along with bringing #BlackGirlMagic to our screens on Peacock TV, Zerlina Maxwell breaks down everything wrong with our current political system and how to center true equity as progressives navigate the political landscape.

[This] book aims to confront the inherent whiteness at the heart of America's politics on both sides of the aisle... [it is] so current and immediate and gripping that reading it feels like someone let Maxwell peek at summer 2020's headlines before she sat down to write it.

As an analysis of the current state of America's political system, The End of White Politics - How to Heal Our Liberal Divide is an important book that reads like the future, like an awakening, like common sense. Written with passion and commitment, Zerlina Maxwell presents her argument persuasively and unapologetically, and with enough anecdotes to lift it above the political thesis. Read more...

Prism runs a talk with Zerlina Maxwell about her new book THE END OF WHITE POLITICS and identity politics in all its forms, stating that "Maxwell stresses that white identity is not and should not be considered the default in politics or any other sector of public life" Read more...

In her classic truth-telling, no-holds-barred style, Zerlina flips the 'identity politics' debate on its head, laying out why Democrats should reject the notion that it's a politics of social division, and instead embrace it as a bridge to social cohesion and inclusion. The book underscores a powerful truth: centering the voices and experiences of those too long marginalized in our politics--including women of color and particularly black women--will not only strengthen our democracy, it will win elections.

HuffPost Q&A with Zerlina, in which she elaborates on the most imperative points of her book such as the heavy impact that identity plays in U.S. politics and what it would take to create a government that truly reflects all the colors of our society. Read more...

Glamour.com interviews Zerlina, noting that "the book aims to confront the inherent whiteness at the heart of America's politics on both sides of the aisle," and concluding that it is "so current and immediate and gripping that reading it feels like someone let Maxwell peek at summer 2020's headlines before she sat down to write it." Read more...