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Distributed for Reaktion Books

America’s Last Days

The Finale of Empire USA

Looking to the past, present, and potential futures of the United States, an urgent deep dive into the American project.

As the United States moves beyond its two-hundred-fiftieth anniversary, questions about national identity, political cohesion, and the future of the republic have become increasingly urgent. America’s Last Days argues that the tensions present since the nation’s founding have deepened into a profound crisis of unity. Tracing the historical forces that shaped the United States, Peter Laufer examines contemporary divisions rooted in politics, economics, culture, immigration, and regional identity. Drawing on primary sources and original reporting, this book considers secession movements, border realignment proposals, and growing challenges to the idea of a shared American project. Provocative and wide-ranging, it asks whether the United States can endure in its current form, or whether a different political future may emerge from its longstanding divisions.


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Reviews

“A necessary read for anyone who wonders whether America can survive the turmoils that threaten to tear it apart.”

F. H. Buckley, author of "American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup"

“A fascinating journey through the history and present-day reality of the USA. Laufer brings his international experience, storytelling ability, and vibrant writing skills to assess a ‘split and suspicious nation.’ He has traveled the country and interviewed people across the political, social, and geographical divides to describe the fragmentation of the national community. America’s Last Days is a wonderfully engaging description of a troubled nation and perhaps the end of the American Empire.”

John Rennie Short, author of “Insurrection: What the January 6 Assault on the Capitol Reveals about America and Democracy”

“Vivid writing brings alive Laufer’s unconventional argument that America is imploding. He applies historic and little-known references to support his sobering look toward his country’s near future.”

Markos Kounalakis, author and scholar, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

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