Following the publication of my recent review of his excellent, penetrating, but preoccupying book The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster), Canadian essayist and novelist Stephen Marche kindly accepted to answer a few questions for this blog. It is therefore with tremendous pleasure that I share the content of our exchange.
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BookMarc: Mr. Marche, you present a gloomy portrait of the threats that America might well be confronted to in a near future. Between the 5 scenarios you envision, which one is the most likely in your opinion and why?
Stephen Marche: Well, I would say that a version of the first scenario—about a united right that rallies over a bridge—has sort of already happened. I don’t really think that one is more likely than another. I prided myself in the book about being very specific about the limits of the models I used to write the pieces. Some, like the environmental models, are incredibly strong. Others, like the economic models, aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. But I give the best available models in each case.
BookMarc 