Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball

The best of Joe Bageant

Joe Bageant, Ken Smith

$32.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Scribe Publications
28 November 2011

Society & Social Sciences; Social issues & processes; Social classes; Politics & government

'Essentially, it comes down to the fact that a very large portion of

Americans are crazier than shithouse rats and are being led by a gang of

pathological misfits, most of whom are preachers and politicians.'

'Essentially, it comes down to the fact that a very large portion of Americans are crazier than shithouse rats and are being led by a gang of pathological misfits, most of whom are preachers and politicians.'

In 2004, at the age of 58, writer Joe Bageant sensed that the internet could give him editorial freedom. Without having to deal with gatekeepers, he began writing about what he was really thinking, and started submitting his essays to left-of-centre websites.

Joe's essays soon gained a wide following for his forceful style, his sense of humour, and his willingness to discuss the American white underclass, a taboo topic for the mainstream media. Joe called himself a 'redneck socialist', and he initially thought most of his readers would be very much like himself - working class from the southern section of the USA. So he was pleasantly surprised when the emails started filling his in-box. There were indeed many letters from men about Joe's age who had also escaped rural poverty. But there were also emails from younger men and women readers, from affluent people who agreed that the political and economic system needed an overhaul, from readers in dozens of countries expressing thanks for an alternative view of American life, from working-class Americans in all parts of the country, and more than a few from elderly women who wrote to Joe to say that they respected and appreciated his writing, but 'please don't use so much profanity'.

Joe Bageant died in March 2011 at the age of 64, having published 89 essays online. The 25 essays presented in Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball have been selected by Ken Smith, who managed Joe's website and disseminated his work to the wider media and to Joe's dedicated fans and followers.

'One of the great American writers of his generation.' - Charles Firth

'Bageant must be one of only a handful of people who can provide and understanding of what America's redneck underclass is thinking.

The mix of storytelling and political commentary is superb.' - The Daily Telegraph

'Bageant may write like a dream but he hasn't forgotten where he came from . . . Cutting through the corporatist flim-flam, he describes just what trouble America is in.' - The Australian Financial Review Magazine

By: Joe Bageant, Ken Smith
Imprint: Scribe Publications
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 380g
ISBN: 9781921844515
ISBN 10: 1921844515
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 28 November 2011
Recommended Age: From 15 to 10 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball: The best of Joe Bageant

Whether you're inclined to catastrophise about the fate of the US or not, Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball is a beautifully angry counterpoint to the shiny banners and optimistic war cries of the Republican primary season. as seen on TV. --Charles Firth, Sydney Morning Herald