No Apologies
No Apologies
“"Katherine Brodsky's first book, No Apologies, is a triumph. It is a detailed account of Cancel Culture that helps the reader understand the phenomenon, its victims, and its special kind of madness."
—Greg Lukianoff, President of FIRE and coauthor of The Coddling of the American Mind
About the Book
We as a society are self-censoring at record rates. Say the wrong thing at the wrong moment to the wrong person and the consequences can be dire. Think that everyone should be treated equally regardless of race? You're a racist who needs to be kicked out of the online forum that you started. Believe there are biological differences between men and women? You're a sexist who should be fired with cause. Argue that people should be able to speak freely within the bounds of the law? You're a fascist who should be removed from your position of authority. When the truth is no defense and nuance is seen as an attack, self-censorship is a rational choice. Yet, our silence comes with a price. When we are too fearful to speak openly and honestly, we deprive ourselves of the ability to build genuine relationships, we yield all cultural and political power to those with opposing views, and we lose our ability to challenge ideas or change minds, even our own.
In No Apologies, Katherine Brodsky argues that it's time for principled individuals to hit the unmute button and resist the authoritarians among us who name, shame, and punish. Recognizing that speaking authentically is easier said than done, she spent two years researching and interviewing those who have been subjected to public harassment and abuse for daring to transgress the new orthodoxy or criticize a new taboo. While she found that some of these individuals navigated the outrage mob better than others, and some suffered worse personal and professional effects than others, all of the individuals with whom she spoke remain unapologetic over their choice to express themselves authentically. In sharing their stories, which span the arts, education, journalism, and science, Brodsky uncovers lessons for all of us in the silenced majority to push back against the dangerous illiberalism of the vocal minority that tolerates no dissent— and to find and free our own voices.
About the Author
Katherine Brodsky is a commentator and writer who has contributed to publications such as Newsweek, Variety, WIRED, Washington Post, Guardian, Esquire, CNN.com, Vulture, Playboy, Independent, Mashable, and many others—covering a diverse range of topics ranging from culture to tech.
Details
ISBN: 9781634312509
Format: hardcover
SRP: $28.99
Page count: 208 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: January 2024
More Praise
"The bullies, censors, and cultural vigilantes have had their noisy, self-righteous say. Now it's their targets' turn to speak. Brodsky's tales of the unbowed are bracing and riveting -- fables for our time."
—Walter Kirn, Literary critic, essayist & novelist, Up in the Air"When I was young, my piano teacher told me stories about growing up under Mao in China. As a classical musician, she had to hide her sheet music from the Red Guard or be accused of supporting 'western imperialism.' She even put felt over her piano strings to practice Mozart in silence. Katherine Brodsky's No Apologies makes it clear that we are witnessing an Orwellian shift toward illiberalism among supposedly liberal democracies—and that things will get a lot worse if we continue to let ourselves be silenced."
—Sean Ono Lennon, musician and songwriter"Katherine Brodsky isn't apologizing...for anything. Why should I? At last, someone has taken apart the growing instinct for self-censorship that has paralyzed so much of our public discourse—on campus, in government, in the arts, and especially among the pundits, commentators, and other self-serious moralizers who seek to define legitimacy. In No Apologies, the fearless Brodsky explains exactly how this rigid cowardice took hold and how we can all free ourselves from its enforcers' iron grip. There are many reasons to hate today's thought police but none more important than this one: Life is sooo boring when everyone has to agree!"
—Ellis Henican, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author"As our world spirals into darkness from creeping censorship, Katherine Brodsky is a much-needed voice providing a light through the dark. Sure, that sounds like some flowery bullshit quote, but we're going to need a lot more like Katherine to help us through this dark period in our history."
—Chris Gore, publisher and editor of Film Threat
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