The Next Civil War

Dispatches from the American Future

By: Stephen Marche

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross

“Should be required reading for anyone interested in preserving our 246-year experiment in self-government.” —The New York Times Book Review * “Well researched and eloquently presented.” —The Atlantic * “Delivers Cormac McCarthy-worthy drama; while the nonfictional asides imbue that drama with the authority of documentary.” —The New York Times Book Review

A celebrated journalist takes a fiercely divided America and imagines five chilling scenarios that lead to its collapse, based on in-depth interviews with experts of all kinds.

The United States is coming to an end. The only question is how.

On a small two-lane bridge in a rural county that loathes the federal government, the US Army uses lethal force to end a standoff with hard-right anti-government patriots. Inside an ordinary diner, a disaffected young man with a handgun takes aim at the American president stepping in for an impromptu photo-op, and a bullet splits the hyper-partisan country into violently opposed mourners and revelers. In New York City, a Category 2 hurricane plunges entire neighborhoods underwater and creates millions of refugees overnight—a blow that comes on the heels of a financial crash and years of catastrophic droughts—and tips America over the edge into ruin.

These nightmarish scenarios are just three of the five possibilities most likely to spark devastating chaos in the United States that are brought to life in The Next Civil War, a chilling and deeply researched work of speculative nonfiction. Drawing upon sophisticated predictive models and nearly two hundred interviews with experts—civil war scholars, military leaders, law enforcement officials, secret service agents, agricultural specialists, environmentalists, war historians, and political scientists—journalist Stephen Marche predicts the terrifying future collapse that so many of us do not want to see unfolding in front of our eyes. Marche has spoken with soldiers and counterinsurgency experts about what it would take to control the population of the United States, and the battle plans for the next civil war have already been drawn up. Not by novelists, but by colonels.

No matter your political leaning, most of us can sense that America is barreling toward catastrophe—of one kind or another. Relevant and revelatory, The Next Civil War plainly breaks down the looming threats to America and is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of its people, its land, and its government.

Well Done

The author is a talented storyteller, and his “dispatches“ (as he calls them) are well-written and compelling. His perspective is center left, but not obnoxious to an open-minded conservative. The final section is worth the price of admission for the discussion of secession.

The next civil war ( left wing version)

Good book and good to see from the other side however it puts all the problems on the right and completely ignores the left burning cities, killing people, trying to make national gun registry and ban guns etc etc.

A Deep Description

Every portion brought to the mind what America is really all about. The lessons we should have learned are explained in a way that helps us understand where we’ve been and where we are headed. A number of real truths about our country and who we are.

A thought provoking book

The Next Civil War was an interesting look into what may be. It was thought provoking, and made me challenge some preconceived notions. I just couldn't put it down.

Frightening read

Marche explains at the beginning his political leanings and shows to be fair, with a bias only towards facts, not political leanings. His speculation is well researched and thought out and is quite engaging. I think he could write a full fictional novel to finish out his scenarios and I’d buy it.
The reading voice is done well, which is appreciated.
The book overall is scary in the way it reminds me of the speculative stories of what nuclear winter would look like back in the 80’s. I believe the scenarios here are more likely to occur based on our current political situation in the US, which is the frightening part.