Obscure Book Group

I have changed the book this month because I feel that we might want to read something relevant to the fraught situation of democracy in America. Anne Applebaum is a historian of Eastern Europe andd Russia as well as a frequent contributor to the Atlantic magazine. This book concerns the attraction of authoritarian rule and nationalism. Why are so many willing to champion simplistic beliefs in the name of freedom? She argues that many think that a repressive government will benefit them and are uninterested in its long term effects.

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist who describes himself as a political centrist. This book is essentially about how people become self-righteous; how they come to the conclusion that their moral beliefs are the only correct ones. Obviously relevant today, this book comes recommended to me by psychiatrists and religious activists.

From Wikipedia:
“The Razor's Edge is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. Maugham is the narrator whose narration takes the form of relating his conversations and reactions to the characters. He finds Larry both mystifying and compelling. The story begins through the eyes of Larry's friends and acquaintances as they witness his personality change after the war. His rejection of conventional life and search for meaningful experience allows him to thrive while the more materialistic characters suffer reversals of fortune.”
I have been hearing about how life-changing this novel is for years so I figured we should read it.