Evil Geniuses

How an elite cabal rewrote the American dream for their gain - and left the rest of the world behind.

'Elegantly written, full of insight' - Justin Webb
'Absorbing, infuriating, full-of-facts-you-didn't-know, saxophonely written' - Anand Giridharadas
'Kurt Andersen at his riveting best' - Matthew D'Ancona

Evil Geniuses is the secret history of how, over the last half century, America has sharply swerved away from its dream of progress for the many to a system of unfettered profit and self-interest for the few.

As the social liberation of the 1960s finally ended in the chaos of Vietnam and Watergate, a faction of rich industrialists, business chiefs, wide-eyed libertarians and right-wing economic radicals were waiting, determined to claw back everything they saw as rightfully theirs. Reaching back into the dangerous powers of nostalgia, they emulated the unchecked robber barons of the past - veiling their actions as a return to the good old days, and winning over the people in the name of traditional American values.

In this hugely entertaining and deeply researched cultural and economic exposé, New York Times bestselling author Kurt Andersen maps the rich history of intricate networks, unlikely connections and dark truths which are controlling a nation, revealing how on earth America got to where it is now - and what it might do to win its progressive future back.