Cry havoc Charlottesville and American democracy under siege

Michael Signer

Book - 2020

"The former mayor of Charlottesville, VA, delivers a first-person chronicle of the terror and mayhem of the August 2017 "Unite the Right" event in his town, and shows how issues of extremism are affecting not just one city but the nation itself"--

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Subjects
Genres
Personal narratives
History
Published
New York, NY : PublicAffairs 2020.
Language
English
Main Author
Michael Signer (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xiii, 383 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white) ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-359) and index.
ISBN
9781541736153
  • Major Characters
  • Part I. Civility
  • Introduction: Winter in Summer
  • 1. The Hook
  • 2. "Simply Because There's Passion" (January 2016)
  • 3. "Is Mike Your Daddy?" (February 2016)
  • 4. Race, Policy, and the Past (March 2016)
  • 5. "Broaden the Aperture" (April 2016)
  • 6. Changing the Narrative (Sway 2016)
  • 7. "Hell Signer" (June 2016)
  • 8. "Have You Even Read the Us Constitution?" (July 2016)
  • 9. "To Un-Erase This History" (August 2016)
  • Part II. In Extremis
  • 10. Transactional or Transformational? (September 2016)
  • 11. "We Will Build This World from Love" (October 2016)
  • 12. Dizzying and Despondent (November 2016)
  • 13. "It's an Issue of Right and Wrong, Sir" (December 2016)
  • 14. "You Gotta Get Me Out of This" (January 2017)
  • 15. Grenade Game (February 2017)
  • 16. "Disturbance or Removal" (March 2017)
  • 17. "Our Mayor is a Neo-Fascist" (April 2017)
  • Part II. The Summer of Hate
  • 18. "That Day We Finish Them All Off" (May 2017)
  • 19. "Don't Take the Bait" (Juke 2017)
  • 20. "Sailing into the Windstorm" (July 2017)
  • Part IV. Firestorm
  • 21. Domestic Terrorism (August 2017)
  • Part V. Afterburn
  • 22. "Donald Trump Is God!" (September 2017)
  • 23. Flash Mob (October 2017)
  • 24. "Unmask the Illusion" (November 2017)
  • 25. "Like Talking to a Brick Wall" (December 2017)
  • 26. The Crucible (2018)
  • 27. Overcoming Extremism
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An insider's account of the "madness and mayhem" of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 and the nightmare confrontation between free speech and public safety that the clash created.Signer (Becoming Madison: The Extraordinary Origins of the Least Likely Founding Father, 2015, etc.) was mayor of the progressive college town when hundreds of armed, torch-carrying protesters arrived, shouting "Jews will not replace us," ostensibly to protect a statue of Robert E. Lee from removal. Although he lacked power in his ceremonial position (the city manager was in charge), Signer felt compelled to act: He was Jewish, an expert on demagoguery, and teaching a university course on race, policy and history. With a doctorate in political science, the author was committed to deliberative government. In this deeply introspective book, which addresses Donald Trump's fearmongering rise to the presidency, Signer explains how he was "pushing the boundaries" of his job, encouraging different perspectives on the statue issue and upsetting many staff with his seeming meddling. Some citizens insisted on removing the Confederate monument; others, on keeping it as a "teachable moment." Opposing "symbolic politics," the author hoped to "recontextualize" the statue, using public space to tell the full story of race. With the "Unite the Right" rally imminent, Signer began seeking a "silver bullet" to avert violence between opposing protesters, enlisting advice and assistance from experts. His frustration at not being able to shape the outcome is palpable. "I could have left more up to others," he writes. He offers a thorough analysis of the "shortcomings" of First Amendment law and the failures of policing. Berating himself as sometimes "impetuous," he emerges as a well-intentioned, proactive figurehead who suffered undeserved attacks on social media. Signer refuses to scapegoat, but it is noteworthy that most of those in power at the time are now gone.A complex, disturbing, valuable tale of racial disharmony, government failure, and one man's frantic attempts to save the day. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.