The Collapse of the American Empire

Wednesday, August 29, 2018 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT (UTC–04:00)
Public Event: Community Event
Speaker:
Aug
29

**Please note that both general admission tickets as well as overflow space tickets are now SOLD OUT. We invite you to watch the event via livestream.**

CIGI and Words Worth Books are proud to partner on this public event featuring celebrated author, Chris Hedges. The globally renowned Pulitzer Prize-winner gives us an entirely new view of a nation in crisis in his newest stunning book, America: The Farewell Tour, which holds both liberals and conservatives to account--as rousingly pertinent for Canada as for the disoriented US. Beautifully written, it clarifies vividly and unforgettably the forces at play in our times.

In astonishing, tough, first-hand reportage, Chris Hedges draws on stories from inside communities across America and reveals how the hurricanes of change have allowed an array of pathologies to arise: the opioid crisis, the retreat into gambling, the corporate coup d'état of government, the pornification of culture, the rise of magical thinking, the emboldening of violence and hate, the plagues of suicides, and the global upheaval caused by catastrophic climate change. These are just some of the physical manifestations of a society unravelling. Such ills presage a frightening reconfiguration of our lives--particularly in the face of our neighbour's degeneration as a world power.

Donald Trump rode this disenchantment to power. Hedges – who was unsurprised by Trump's victory – shows how neither the left nor the right are addressing the systemic problems. Until the corporate coup d'état is reversed, these diseases will grow and ravage the country. A humane cry for a decent future, this remarkable book is our wake-up call to reality.

Event Speaker

Chris Hedges, a senior fellow at The Nation Institute, spent nearly 20 years as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He is the author of the bestsellers Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt (with cartoonist Joe Sacco); Death of the Liberal ClassEmpire of Illusion; and War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, among others.