Incredible!!! Any fan of american history should read this book. ( )

Incredible!!! Any fan of american history should read this book. ( )

Better Title: On Fascism I Disagree With. In this text, MacWilliams does something I've literally never seen before, at least not this blatantly. He takes the concept of "prooftexting" from Christian nonfiction/ preaching, wherein the speaker (or writer) selectively quotes particular passages in "proof" of whatever point they are making, and uses the same technique using American History itself as his "inerrant" source. And as with all prooftexters, MacWilliams does indeed make a solid point here or there, but specifically in relation to the other St Martin's Press title whose review spurred this one - Divided We Fall by David French - this book is but a pale comparison at best. To the level that if one can *only* read one of the two, go with French's text over this one. Yes, it is longer, and yes, it still comes from a particular ideological background. But it is also *far* more balanced, nuanced, and I daresay insightful. Here, MacWilliams blatantly ignores virtually all authoritarianism from the left, including from current Presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden while consistently railing against that of the current President of the United States, Donald J Trump. He further has a very narrow definition of "democratic" and claims that anyone who doesn't meet that definition for any reason whatsoever is "authoritarian", seemingly completely unaware that Anarchists exist and fight "democracy" as nothing more than the iron fist of authoritarianism in the velvet glove of being benevolent to the chosen few.

Finally, in an irony that cannot be ignored by myself in particular - as I run a Facebook page called "He Didn't F*cking Say That" - MacWilliams begins and ends the text referencing Benjamin Franklin's "a republic, if you can keep it" line... which didn't appear in the American lexicon until 1906 according to the Yale Book of Quotations, over a century after Franklin's death. And yet despite this (or seemingly ignorant of the quote being apocryphal), MacWilliams seems to be unaware of his hypocrisy as he decries McCarthy's butchering of some of Lincoln's lines during his own quest for power.

On the whole, this was an interesting and at least quick read. But if one is looking for a complete - or even moderately adequate - takedown of fascism and an exploration of its history in America, sadly this is not such a text. Recommended if only for the few salient points it does make and its brevity. ( )

I was provided an advance copy by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

On Fascism is a timely book. It also is, in a nutshell, disturbing, and a little bit horrifying – as it should be. It serves to push against the idea of American exceptionalism. Its chapters focus on twelve times in American history where our democratic beliefs came up hard against authoritarian or even fascist ideals.

He opens the book with a bit of a gut punch with survey results on authoritarian attitudes and democracy that are alarming. A recent study reflects that 46% of Americans are inconsistent supporters of democracy and democratic institutions. It’s the perfect launching point for answer to the question: “How do we square these opinions with the story of American exceptionalism and the values that ostensibly anchor it?”

I consider myself a good student of American history. Still, I still had much to learn in these chapters, such as certain nuances forgotten or glossed over in their teachings. This is a quick read – only 208 pages in length – but it merited my full attention. I found On Fascism to be interesting and insightful.

It’s obvious where MacWilliams political leanings lie. (A few more examples of authoritarianism on the left would have softened his bias). However, he’s clear on the fact that the rhetoric of authoritarianism isn’t limited to one side, and that it has seeped into people’s belief system more than we realize. ( )

Our fervent belief in the myth of American exceptionalism persuades us that we are uniquely immune to the activation of authoritarianism. Some of us contend that we are different from people in every other country in the world.

We are not.

Many people, both within and outside the United States believe that Trump is as aberration. In his book On Fascism author Matthew CC Mac Williams, as the subtitle suggests, looks at '12 lessons from American history', interspersed with statistics on beliefs held by Americans today, to show this is untrue; that, in fact, the US has flirted with authoritarianism right from the beginning and it will not end with Trump's removal from office. As he shows, US democracy is much more fragile than most want to believe and it will take a conscious effort including a real reckoning with the past if it is to survive.

On Fascism is a short but well-written and -researched book in language that is easily accessible to those without background in either US history or the politics of authoritarianism. It is a timely and important book and I urge, not only Americans, but others outside the US to read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and St martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )