Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Why is it that a young black woman whose car just broke down and is knocking on a door seeking help is perceived as more of a threat than the white man on the other side of that door who is armed with a shotgun and shoots her dead? The author of critically acclaimed The American Way of Poverty sets his sights on America's most dangerous epidemic: fear.
In this meditation on the paralyzing terror Americans feel when confronted with something they don't understand--from foreigners to tropical viruses to universal health care--Abramsky delivers an eye-opening analysis of our misconceptions about risk and threats. He explores how we fathom risk, the ways our brains interpret risk and identify perceived threats, both at a neurological level and at a conscious one. What emerges is a journey through a political and cultural landscape that, increasingly in recent years, has come to be defined by our fears, and, oftentimes, by a collective misunderstanding of what is and who presents a real risk in our day-to-day lives. Ultimately, Abramsky shows that our fears can teach us a great deal about our society, exposing our deeply ingrained racism, classism, xenophobia, and susceptibility to the toxic messages of demagogues.
Synopsis
Why is an unarmed young black woman who knocks on a stranger's front door to ask for help after her car breaks down perceived to be so threatening that he shoots her dead? Why do we fear infrequent acts of terrorism more far more common acts of violence? Why does a disease like Ebola, which killed only a handful of Americans, provoke panic, whereas the flu--which kills tens of thousands each year--is dismissed with a yawn?
Jumping at Shadows is Sasha Abramsky's searing account of America's most dangerous epidemic: irrational fear. Taking readers on a dramatic journey through a divided nation, where everything from immigration to disease, gun control to health care has become fodder for fearmongers and conspiracists, he delivers an eye-popping analysis of our misconceptions about risk and threats. What emerges is a shocking portrait of a political and cultural landscape that is, increasingly, defined by our worst fears and rampant anxieties.
Ultimately, Abramsky shows that how we calculate risk and deal with fear can teach us a great deal about ourselves, exposing deeply ingrained strains of racism, classism, and xenophobia within our culture, as well as our growing susceptibility to the toxic messages of demagogues.