THE BOY WHO CRIED NAOMI WOLF

Naomi Wolf got famous in 1991 when her book, The Beauty Myth, explored America’s obsession with an artificial standard of beauty, how it affected women and how it affected men. She is a careful, thoughtful writer whose latest book, The End Of America, published earlier this year, sounds a warning bell to which we should all pay serious attention.

Ms. Wolf compares events in America in the last decade with world wide events in the 20th century. Specifically, she looks closely at countries that shifted from open democracies to closed dictatorships – how it was done and how little time it took – and compares them to the current American political landscape. Along the way she points out ten steps that were taken in every case.

This short book, written as a warning letter to a young friend on the eve of his wedding, should be read by every American who cares about his country, left wing or right, makes no difference. If they take away our freedom we’ll all be on the same side.

a foot on either side