Fantasyland: Kurt Andersen in Conversation with Kwame Anthony Appiah

Fantasyland, the latest book by Kurt Andersen, bestselling author and co-creator of the public radio show Studio 360, is a comprehensive examination of our post-truth world and the history of the American instinct to believe in make-believe.

Andersen argues that the tendency to see our current “alternative-facts” moment as a new phenomenon belies four centuries of magical thinkers and true believers, hucksters and suckers, who have embedded an appetite for believe-whatever-you-want fantasy into our national DNA. From the Salem witch trials to P. T. Barnum to extraterrestrial conspiracy theories, Fantasyland suggests that America’s love of the fantastic has made this country exceptional in a way that has yet to be explored.

Andersen will speak with writer, philosopher, and NYU professor Kwame Anthony Appiah. A book signing will follow the program.

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