Idiot America Summary

Charles Pierce author of Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free, graduated in 1975 from Marquette University with a degree in journalism. Pierce is currently a senior journalist and on-line political blogger at Esquire Magazine. His writing has been published with the New York Times Magazine and LA Times Magazine along with Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. While searching the provided list of books to choose for this review, I chose Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. I chose this book because the cover has George Washington riding on a dinosaur and that could only mean that this was a political book. The cover its self was an indication to me that the author has an …show more content…
As the book begins, Charles Pierce writes in depth about the people who are referred to as American Cranks. He was referencing all those who find themselves to be self-appointed experts on any particular subject. Their opinion may not be based on any fact whatsoever. Pierce states one of the biggest cranks in politics was Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly was an educated, smart mind, but made many questionable decisions when it came to politics. He had a reputation for being an excellent public speaker and was invited to Philadelphia to deliver the Fourth of July address at the Democratic convention. Shortly after the address, Donnelly withdrew from the race for the Pennsylvania state legislature and endorsed his opposition. He then went on to promote a presidential campaign for James Buchanan, a democrat, but shortly after his win switched parties to a republican. This then led to his own downfall. He remained eager to be famous and remembered as a writer of the ages. He pursued a strange obsession with the Lost City of Atlantis and even wrote books about it. “He read so much that he rediscovered Atlantis.” (Pierce 17) The sarcasm used by Charles Pierce is repetitive. He did however continue to make his point that although Donnelly had only read on the subject, his book Atlantis: The Antediluvian World was published with rave reviews in the press. Scientifically it was found to have no merit and was challenged by Charles …show more content…
Once again, Ignatius Donnelly makes an appearance. This time it is about his book Ragnarok: Age of Fire and Gravel. “Finished in a mere two months, Ragnarok is even more densely argued than Atlantis.” (53) The book bombed and publishers refused to publish it. Reviews were terrible. Mr. Donnelly researched the Earth’s land masses and attempted to offer a different theory about how they were formed. Data Donnelly collected is used to support his point of view. The data that opposed his view was purposely left out. Neither Science nor scientific experts were on his side. Pierce wrote “It’s wrong to believe that our abiding appetite for counterhistory simply makes us a nation of suckers who will fall for anything” (55) Pierce is making a point that idiot America can proclaim to be experts, some will listen and some will ask for the