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abigailhope13's review against another edition
4.0
i would probably give it 3.5 stars. i really enjoyed it, and found it an important read, but its focus on trump dates the work substantially, and prevents it from speaking into the global impacts of authoritarianism in the way which it could. some of the other themes touched upon - leninism, the rise of postmodernism in the 20th century, the creation of the internet and social media - could have been explored in more depth and would have made it a much more comprehensive read
da_bos's review against another edition
4.0
Quickly read (and apparently quickly written/published) screed against the siloes of "alternative facts" tailored to meet our political beliefs rather than reflect reality. Relying heavily on some usual suspects (e.g., Orwell, Arendt) as well as some unexpected ones (eg., Postman), Kakutani presents a cogent argument for the importance, indeed necessity, of truth-telling (primarily though not exclusively in a free press) for democracy. If she sometimes appears one-sidedly anti-Republican and anti-Trump, it's because, as her book makes abundantly clear, Republicans and Trump himself are the main culprits undermining the very foundations of American democracy and governance. Recommended reading.
_bookmoth's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
2.0
The subtitle of this book is called "Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump" and that what this book mostly is, 'notes'. Although there is a clear chapter structure, the information haphazardly jumps through them, repeating itself from time to time as if somebody jotted down ideas while watching the news.
The Death of Truth discusses the usual suspects of our declining modern era: tribalism, fake news, social media, the culture wars, and the rise of the 'me'-society. It was written during the Trump presidency and can be a bit dated at times. I am not sure whether Kakutani wanted to write about Trump or about our declining democracy. Though both are connected, of course, it needs a focal point. I think Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America does a far better job at this.
However, I did like the discussion about the consequences of postmodernism and how postmodernism is (ab)used to bend language and truth in order to gain power. However, the book as whole did not really deliver.
The Death of Truth discusses the usual suspects of our declining modern era: tribalism, fake news, social media, the culture wars, and the rise of the 'me'-society. It was written during the Trump presidency and can be a bit dated at times. I am not sure whether Kakutani wanted to write about Trump or about our declining democracy. Though both are connected, of course, it needs a focal point. I think Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America does a far better job at this.
However, I did like the discussion about the consequences of postmodernism and how postmodernism is (ab)used to bend language and truth in order to gain power. However, the book as whole did not really deliver.
alexisrt's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't a very long book--it's more of an extended essay on truth, the media, and Donald Trump. It's not necessarily new if you're a regular news reader, but Kakutani is a good (if enraged) writer, and her background in literary criticism lets her tie in a lot of examples.
There's a clear anti-Trump bias here, but she doesn't let the left off the hook: she argues that the ground was prepared by postmodernist theory. Once bastardized and filtered down, it set the stage for truth being subjective. The left has had its own issues with rejection of facts and science, as well.
Mostly, though, it's about the current state of affairs--which has led to a situation where Trump supporters don't care about facts, because they don't believe they are real or that relativism means they don't matter since all politicians lie.
It's an interesting short read, but won't convince anyone who doesn't already agree with her.
There's a clear anti-Trump bias here, but she doesn't let the left off the hook: she argues that the ground was prepared by postmodernist theory. Once bastardized and filtered down, it set the stage for truth being subjective. The left has had its own issues with rejection of facts and science, as well.
Mostly, though, it's about the current state of affairs--which has led to a situation where Trump supporters don't care about facts, because they don't believe they are real or that relativism means they don't matter since all politicians lie.
It's an interesting short read, but won't convince anyone who doesn't already agree with her.
princesspersephone's review against another edition
4.0
Very in depth discussion on current politics. I wish I had a more substantial understanding of post-modernism before reading this since Kakutani references many names/works with the assumption that the reader understands the principles evoked. Other than that, the book was set up to flow seamlessly between topics. Kakutani does a great job of staying objective with the facts while also offering up opinions on the why and the"what-comes-of-it", in response to the events being told.
rienthril's review against another edition
3.0
MK deploys literary awareness to join the vast choir of well-read people condemning Dumpy McChump’s unworldly villainy and uncanny resemblance to everything bad that Orwell, Arendt, et al ever predicted. If you’d forgotten that the dude is the worst, here’s another reminder. Oh, and by the way, MK wants you to know that social media and deconstructionism are just as bad as the Chump. Honestly, I’m tired of anti-Trump diatribes with no solutions. If we’re truly on the highway to hell, let’s get serious. The pile of books proving that Trump is the screaming, racist canker sore on the face of America is tall enough.
justash2000's review against another edition
2.0
Just feel like this was not the right book for me. It was just a trump rant and due to my potential lack of political knowledge the points didn’t really hit.