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Summary
Summary
Authoritarianism is on the march--and so is dystopian fiction. In the brave new twenty-first century, young-adult series like The Hunger Games and Divergent have become blockbusters; after Donald Trump's election, two dystopian classics, 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale , skyrocketed to the New York Times best-seller list. This should come as no surprise: dystopian fiction has a lot to say about the perils of terrible government in real life.
In Survive and Resist , Amy L. Atchison and Shauna L. Shames explore the ways in which dystopian narratives help explain how real-world politics work. They draw on classic and contemporary fiction, films, and TV shows--as well as their real-life counterparts--to offer funny and accessible explanations of key political concepts. Atchison and Shames demonstrate that dystopias both real and imagined help bring theories of governance, citizenship, and the state down to earth. They emphasize nonviolent resistance and change, exploring ways to challenge and overcome a dystopian-style government. Fictional examples, they argue, help give us the tools we need for individual survival and collective resistance. A clever look at the world through the lenses of pop culture, classic literature, and real-life events, Survive and Resist provides a timely and innovative approach to the fundamentals of politics for an era of creeping tyranny.
Author Notes
Amy L. Atchison is associate professor of political science at Valparaiso University. Her work has appeared in journals such as Politics and Gender , the Journal of Political Science Education , and PS: Political Science and Politics , among others.
Shauna L. Shames is associate professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden. She is the author of Out of the Running: Why Millennials Reject Political Careers and Why It Matters (2017) and coeditor of The Right Women: Republican Party Activists, Candidates, and Legislators (2018).
Reviews (2)
Choice Review
This is a comparative government textbook in which the authors employ dystopian fiction to explain how good governance functions and how to resist bad governance. Drawing on an array of dystopia classics such as 1984, We, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 with infusion of more current popular novels and movies, including for example Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Wall-E, The Handmaid's Tale, and The LEGO Movie, the authors (both, feminist political scientists) mix history, political theory, popular culture, and humor in a manifesto for democracy, a warning about unfettered capitalism, and advocacy of collective non-violent political resistance. Sidebars that define terms, provide examples, and offer advice demonstrate the volume's didactic nature. The book's tone is both light and preachy. It is an interesting read, but just where does it fit? As the introductory college text that it appears to be, it assumes facts not in evidence--that many students have any idea about all the literature referenced. How many libraries will be interested in an academic textbook? The irony is that for dystopia aficionados, this engaging work raises this type of literature to a higher academic plane. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Joe P. Dunn, Converse College
Library Journal Review
Politics meets popular culture in this lively, often lighthearted study. Political scientists Shames (Rutgers Univ.-Camden; Out of the Running) and Atchison (Valparaiso Univ., IN) survey novels, films, and TV series that dwell on dystopian themes, asserting that they can help explain the rise of authoritarianism. In addition to George Orwell's 1984 and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, other popular works discussed include Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, and the 1982 film Blade Runner. Film directors such as Mel Brooks and Charlie Chaplin are also cited. Several chapters are devoted to remedies (e.g., political checks and balances and nonviolent action), while another chapter focuses on economic theories. The tone frequently shifts from casual discussion to academic discourse, and many sidebars with graphics and comparisons of real-life dictatorships with their fictional counterparts keep the work engaging. Each chapter ends with a brief and helpful "final thoughts" recap. VERDICT This book will have broad appeal to readers who appreciate the intersections of pop culture and politics and is a worthy complement to Barbara Brodman and James E. Doan's Utopia and Dystopia in the Age of Trump.--Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
