Rendezvous with Oblivion

New York Times–Bestselling Author: “Insightful analysis, moral passion, and keen satirical wit . . . both entertaining and an important commentary on the times.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

What does a middle-class democracy look like when it comes apart? When, after forty years of economic triumph, America’s winners persuade themselves that they owe nothing to the rest of the country?

With his sharp eye for detail, Thomas Frank, author of What’s the Matter with Kansas?, takes us on a wide-ranging tour through present-day America, showing us a society in the late stages of disintegration and describing the worlds of both the winners and the losers—the sprawling mansion districts as well as the lives of fast-food workers.

Rendezvous with Oblivion is a collection of interlocking essays examining how inequality has manifested itself in our cities, in our jobs, in the way we travel—and of course in our politics, where in 2016, millions of anxious ordinary people rallied to the presidential campaign of a billionaire who meant them no good.

These accounts of folly and exploitation are brought together in a volume marked by Frank’s distinctive voice, sardonic wit, and anti-orthodox perspective. They capture a society where every status signifier is hollow, where the allure of mobility is just another con game, and where rebellion too often yields nothing. For those who despair of our country’s future and of reason itself, Rendezvous with Oblivion is a booster shot of energy, reality, and moral outrage.

“[A] scathing take on contemporary American politics and culture.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An invaluable voice . . . as good as any writer working today.” —San Francisco Chronicle