The Great Wave

An urgent examination of the great wave of change breaking over today’s world – from the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and New York Times bestselling author of The Death of Truth
‘A profoundly inspiring and prophetic perspective on the contemporary world’ Ai Weiwei
In the twenty-first century, a wave of political, cultural and technological change has capsized our old certainties and assumptions, creating both opportunity and danger.

As people lose their faith in old institutions and elites, radical voices at the margins and the grassroots are disrupting the status quo. This is the time of the outsider – the protester, the populist, the hacker. Some of these outsiders have sown chaos, like Donald Trump, and others have provided inspirational leadership, like Volodymyr Zelensky. But all have grasped this precarious moment to make something new.

Writing with a critic’s incisive understanding of cultural trends, Michiko Kakutani outlines the consequences of these new asymmetries of power, and looks back to similar hinge moments in history, from the waning of the Middle Ages to the aftermath of the Second World War, to find a way forward.

For there is, Kakutani argues, always the promise of transformation in times of turmoil. We can surrender to the waters, give in to the gathering chaos, or we can use the wave’s momentum to propel us into a more stable and sustainable future.

‘A profoundly inspiring and prophetic perspective on the contemporary world … marked by its deep, sincere, and precise comprehension of the formidable challenges that humanity faces in the third millennium. This may well be a pivotal turning point’ Ai Weiwei

'[A] deeply researched book … Useful lines to remember in this year of political choices' Tim Adams, The Guardian, Book of the Day

‘In this story, history – and hope – must keep on coming, however huge the catastrophe … strangely haunting’ Lyndsey Stonebridge, New Statesman

‘In this dazzling and brilliant book, Michiko Kakutani explains the cascading chaos of our era and points to ways that we can regain some stability’ Walter Isaacson

‘Michiko Kakutani has somehow synthesized all the pain, promise and hope of our wild and dangerous times into a slim but potent volume full of elegant thought and perfectly worded analysis’ Gary Shteyngart

'Michiko Kakutani is not only an invaluable literary denizen, but also a brilliant observer of how politics and culture disrupt the mechanics of power and influence' ELLE, Best Nonfiction Books of 2024

'Kakutani has chosen what may be a perfect symbol for life in 2024 … Important and culturally significant' Chicago Review of Books

'Kakutani contextualizes today’s crises—from rampant populism to rising instability to environmental destruction—in the broad sweep of world history and points to ways to move past this era' Foreign Policy Magazine

'Kakutani may no longer be the New York Times' most-feared book critic, but a critic she remains. She brings effortless erudition … a confident and compelling writer' Minneapolis Star Tribune

Michiko Kakutani is a Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic and the former chief book critic of The New York Times. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death of Truth and Ex Libris.

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