"We are a collection of functional parts whose efforts combine into a dysfunctional whole," posits political analyst Ezra Klein in this look at the structural and psychological forces behind America's descent into division. Over the past 50 years in America, our partisan views have merged with our racial, religious, geographic, and cultural identities, tearing at the bonds that hold this country together. Neither a polemic nor a lament, this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump's rise to the Democratic Party's leftward shift , while offering substantial hope for greater dialogue between the warring parties.

"[Klein] provides a highly useful guide to this most central of political puzzles, digesting mountains of social science research and presenting it in an engaging form…. An overall outstanding volume." —Francis Fukuyama, Washington Post