In his 2020 book American Rule, Jared Yates Sexton took a hard look at our nation's history: namely, the abuses committed by those in power, and the comforting myths that provided them cover and shaped the way we view ourselves up to the present. His approach and the narrative he uncovered proved worryingly relevant, as Americans have struggled with an identity crisis in an increasingly divided public square. Now, in THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM, Sexton applies this lens on a global scale. Starting in ancient Rome and working its way to modern times, the narrative focuses on three intertwined forces, all foundational to the concept of 'the West:' political power, religious indoctrination, and economic dominance. Along the way, Sexton exposes the hypocrisy and conspiratorial thinking that informed Western society's self-image and inspired its many conquests. He examines many societies throughout history that took a more egalitarian approach to gender, religion, and community - and were subjugated and exploited in return. Perhaps most importantly, he tugs at the threads connecting the mythic past to the complexities of today: the rise of imperialism, the terrible power of capital, and the rise of political and religious extremism. Bracing and compulsively readable, THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM takes a critical look at the forces that have shaped humanity for centuries - and invites us to seek a radically different future.
