When the Clock Broke

A fascinating, provocative challenge to our age – passionate, unexpected, illuminating – Rory StewartClear and convincing … A spry and superbly written book on 1990s American politics … the best account I have ever read on the origins of Trumpism … brilliant – Tomiwa Owolade * Daily Telegraph *In When the Clock Broke, John Ganz offers a continuously absorbing and bracing genealogy of today’s incontinent far-right. A must-read for those wondering why the collapse of communism did not bring about the end of the history, and instead inaugurated the apotheosis of fanatics in the free world – Pankaj MishraA terrific new book … Vibrant … Ganz has the skills of a gifted storyteller - one with excellent comedic timing, too - slipping in the most absurd and telling details … Urgent and illuminating … When the Clock Broke is one of those rarest of books: unflaggingly entertaining while never losing sight of its moral core – Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *When the Clock Broke is leagues more insightful on the subject of Trump’s ascent than most writing that purports to address the issue directly – Becca Rothfield * Washington Post *A fascinating shadow story of the 1990s – Ezra Klein * The Ezra Klein Show *Masterly … Ganz spotlights the rage and rancour that spread beneath the surface of American life in a period now remembered for its peace and prosperity – Kyle Burke * Times Literary Supplement *A brilliant, biting account of how the dream of a “kinder, gentler America” curdled into the chaos we live with today – Eliot HigginsSuperb … When the Clock Broke offers a compelling examination of a neglected and revealing period in American history … It is also one of the most entertaining history books I have read in years. Ganz has a novelist’s skill at managing character, pacing, and plot, as well as a great eye for details that are telling, bizarre, and hilarious – Daniel Geary * Irish Times *We should … pay greater heed to the ghosts of battles lost. That is the premise–and brilliant insight–of John Ganz’s When the Clock Broke … Among its virtues, the greatest value of Ganz’s book is that it delivers history in its richest context – Edward Luce * Financial Times *John Ganz is a fantastic writer … When the Clock Broke is phenomenal … truly, truly great – Chris Hayes * Why Is This Happening? Podcast *Lively and kaleidoscopic – Andrew Marantz * New Yorker *A great book – Michelle Goldberg * New York Times *

John Ganz is the author of the widely acclaimed Unpopular Front newsletter for Substack and writes a monthly column for the Nation. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, New Statesman and other publications.