Fantasyland audiobook cover - How America Went Haywire

Fantasyland

How America Went Haywire

Kurt Andersen

★ 3.2 / 5(102 ratings)
Start ListeningDownload App
Categories:
HistoryPolitics

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to Fantasyland — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from Fantasyland

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Fantasyland

Mind Map

Fantasyland
Core Thesis+
Early Colonist Delusions+
Religious Fantasies+
Racial & Historical Delusions+
1960s Counterculture+
Perpetual Adolescence+
The Gun Fantasy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
According to Kurt Andersen, what does Donald Trump represent in the context of American history?
  • A. A sudden, unprecedented shift towards authoritarianism in American politics.
  • B. The culmination of an age-old American trend of embracing fantasy over reality.
  • C. A reaction against the excessive drug culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • D. The first American leader to successfully utilize alternative facts for political gain.
Question 2 of 7
What was the primary motivation behind the early English expeditions to North America commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I?
  • A. To establish religious sanctuaries free from European persecution.
  • B. To cultivate tobacco and other lucrative agricultural products.
  • C. To find massive gold deposits based on unsubstantiated rumors.
  • D. To build a strategic military alliance with indigenous populations.
Question 3 of 7
How does the author view the rapid rise of Mormonism in the 19th century?
  • A. As an early example of the American eagerness to indulge in grand fantasies.
  • B. As a rejection of the growing industrialization in the eastern United States.
  • C. As a politically motivated movement to establish independent western territories.
  • D. As a direct result of the lack of established educational institutions in New York.
Question 4 of 7
How did Nate Salsbury's 1895 theme park reflect the American tendency toward delusion?
  • A. It featured futuristic technologies and utopian societies.
  • B. It presented a romanticized, delusional depiction of 'benevolent' slavery.
  • C. It celebrated the mythical origins of the Ku Klux Klan.
  • D. It recreated ancient religious sites to attract Mormon settlers.
Question 5 of 7
What was a significant cultural consequence of the widespread use of psychedelic drugs in the 1960s and 1970s, according to the text?
  • A. A dramatic decrease in college enrollment across the United States.
  • B. A nationwide push for stricter criminal justice policies.
  • C. An increased belief among youths in magic, mysticism, and the occult.
  • D. A widespread rejection of the burgeoning video game industry.
Question 6 of 7
What shift in American culture does the author identify as occurring during the 1980s and 1990s?
  • A. Adults increasingly adopted behaviors, hobbies, and styles previously associated with children.
  • B. A resurgence of traditionalism led adults to strictly separate professional and leisure activities.
  • C. The baby-boomer generation largely abandoned consumerism in favor of minimalist lifestyles.
  • D. Corporate workplaces became heavily regimented to counteract the counterculture of the 60s.
Question 7 of 7
What paradox does the author highlight regarding modern American gun ownership?
  • A. Gun ownership is strictly regulated, yet illegal markets have expanded rapidly.
  • B. Most guns are purchased for hunting, but the animal population has drastically declined.
  • C. People are buying more guns for personal protection, even though violent crime has significantly decreased.
  • D. Urban residents own the most guns, despite facing the lowest risks of property crime.

Fantasyland — Full Chapter Overview

Fantasyland Summary & Overview

Fantasyland (2017) takes readers on a journey through the past 500 years of American history to show just how often this land has been home to people with a bewildering take on reality. Through a wealth of examples, Andersen tells us how Americans have indulged in some far-fetched fantasies in their excuses for gun ownership, slavery and new religions.

Who Should Listen to Fantasyland?

  • Students of American history
  • Readers interested in politics or current affairs
  • Anyone skeptical of American culture

About the Author: Kurt Andersen

Kurt Andersen is the bestselling author of the novels Heyday and Turn of the Century, and his writing has also appeared in the New York Times and Vanity Fair. Aside from his novels and journalistic work, he’s also the host of the Peabody Award-winning radio program Studio 360.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App