The Day After

[@chloe9259]

I couldn't agree more. Sending my best to all of you living in the US, especially if you are a woman or belong to a minority that is going to bear the brunt of this

[@TheGentlemanScholar]

Great words, Robert. And I agree 100%.

[@GreatBooksGuy]

Couldn't agree more, Robert. This election was a grave tragedy for Western Civilization. Thank you for your wonderful booktube videos.

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

Robert, you are brilliant. Thank you for this video. You’ve brought me a glimmer of hope on a very dark and frightening day. Thank you, my friend.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thanks, Pat. Family, friends, and the BookTube Community might be enough to get us through the coming horror show. We need to be a light for each other now unlike ever before.

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

@ you are absolutely right.

[@irenesax1028]

Even more frightening than Trump (and Vance!) is the fact that so many of my fellow citizens are on his side.

[@emmapaige624]

Thank you so much for this. We just have to keep breathing, and keep fighting every day

[@geecharley]

Your channel has easily become one of my favourite on KZbin. Thank you, Robert. This was great. ♡

[@ingridfitz5677]

I agree with how you have described our situation. You express it better than I can that’s for sure. Thank you for the words and recommendations. Yes, reading will be more important to me now. Take care Booktube friends 🥰

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you, and take care.

[@EllaBirt]

Thank you for this Robert. I am feeling so unsafe, distraught, and disappointed in humanity (yet not entirely surprised). I will reread a favorite - Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl). I started reading How Change Happens by Cass R. Sunstein today to try to make sense of this, and to learn how to ebb us in the right direction once again.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Frankl is good, and he provides some comfort.

[@dorlynnstarn]

Thank you for your post. In addition to the two books recommended in the video, I am reading your recommendation of Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning for the first time. Thank you, it has been helpful.

[@absolutetwaddle]

Your channel is a balm to the soul. Thank you.

[@msoc366]

Thank you for your kind words and support on this difficult day.

[@nymeria941]

Always a good time to read Thomas More. I recently rewatched “A Man For All Seasons” with my family, and it led to some really good discussion about what we value. Community and action, guided by integrity, will see us through, as they have before.

[@retiredbooknerd]

Thank you for this! It's so good not to feel alone.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

I think the hateful rhetoric was designed to separate us, to make us feel alone. Books help. Fellow readers help even more. Stay hopeful!

[@ba-gg6jo]

Still in shock in the UK along with my friends. Terribly disheartening. I wish the many decent people in the USA the very best of luck, I feel you are going to need it. Excellent vlog Robert, measured and pertinent.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you.

[@constancecampbell4610]

Thank you, Robert. Will be referencing this again. 🤗💕

[@BrianAdamThompson]

Thanks for this. All we have is each other now, and watching your videos gives me an important feeling of community

[@lilamusil4665]

The scariest part for me is thinking that we all hate each other. That no one cares about what has happened. At least we are not blind and alone. Thank you for this.

[@lexi6612]

Thank you for this, Robert.

[@Whalemelon]

Thank you for the recommendations.

[@Literatiloves]

Thank you for this. It was uplifting to hear and also to read the comments of kindness and support and see that I am not alone in how I’m feeling - it’s easy to forget when you live in a very red state and your entire extended family voted for this insanity. 💔

[@opheliachampagne6649]

Watching from Canada and have been sick to my stomach since last night …can’t imagine how awful it must feel south of the border. I rarely comment on youtube but today feels different. Knowledge is the greatest tool against this insanity thank you for the book recs! Had to drop out of school during Covid and your channel feels like a taste of the lectures I never got to attend. Bought James because of your video, looking forward to reading it (if I manage to finish Huck Finn). These are very scary times ❤ though it doesn’t change things, know that many of us up here are thinking of our American neighbours and sending love your way. I think we are unfortunately in this together

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you.

[@mafiabugsy2763]

Thank you for your words; it is a scary time for many of us but I believe in what we must do moving forward which is to be there for each other. Much love from a small individual in Florida.

[@sofiar611]

Thank you for this. Literature and learning are lights in the darkness.

[@kap_516]

Thank you very much for the recs! We at least have our communities and our literature! Best of luck, from a very disheartened Floridian

[@NelliG22]

This is helpful; thank you.

[@hellololly9298]

Thank you. In full agreement.

[@sarahwardbooks]

Thank you for posting this

[@MeganLaterra]

Thank you for this 💙

[@artstories52]

Yes. For reasons I will never understand. You put my feelings into words so well. I'm not a part of what I thought was my country anymore. I feel detached and adrift. I'm unable to concentrate on reading and have been drawing since the conclusion was clear. My figures have incomplete limbs and float in the sky. Take care and TY for your thoughts.

[@banrions]

i've been alternating with doing a lot of crying and feeling fairly numb all day. thanks for your words

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

It is a time for tears, but don't lose hope. We can be a light for each other. We have to be.

[@soomitch9177]

Thank you so much for your comforting words and recommendations. Strap on America. We are in for a ride and I pray for all of us that when and if facism is defeated here, we can return to some semblance of what we have now. Specifically Booktube which has meant so much to me since the pandemic. I hope to watch your channel for many years to come!

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you.

[@debkuppusamy7912]

Thank you for the recommendations

[@booksfrommybathtub6113]

Thank you.

[@Mimi...............]

I'm from Switzerland and even i am scared. I can't imagine how liberal americans feel right now. This election isn't good news. Not for humanity, not for freedom, not for america and also not for the world. Can somebody please make it stop?! I'm tired of war, hate and misery all over this planet.😢

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Agreed. We seem to be sliding into a dark age, perhaps the darkest. But we can be a light for each other if we don't lose hope.

[@Mimi...............]

@@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p Thank you so much for speaking up! I'm planning to read Sir Thomas More's book. History has shown time and time again, that freedom doesn't come easy. But until now humanity has always overcome all hardships somehow... 🕊☮

[@jackievanwinkle]

We feel devastated

[@Mimi...............]

@@jackievanwinkle Understandably so. 😔

[@ingridfitz5677]

I am an American and I’m going through the levels of grief for my country. Denial is gone, anger and depression about my country is where I’m at right now.

[@PattiReadsALot]

Your voice of reason is very much needed and appreciated. It’s hard to articulate the deep disappointment I feel, even though I knew the result was inevitable after Jan 6 and then the Supreme Court making him above the law.

[@juliaboles7138]

Thank you for posting this video. I will certainly check these books out. Over the last couple of years I have been delving a little more deeply into philosophy with a focus on Stoicism. I’m trying to keep philosophical in these challenging times.

[@CionMohler]

A really good novel about average people living in a fascist country is Alone in Berlin by Hans Falada. Thanks for the video. All my other book tubers have taken the day off to recover I guess. Wearing my Read Banned Books pin and my Palestinian scarf.

[@MayelinGarcia-pq3hp]

Thank you, thank you for your words. 😢

[@jordanseifert4640]

Thanks for the recommendations Robert. In dark times like these, one of the few comforts we have is the written word. Stay safe out there everyone. Keep calm and read on.

[@pennyg156]

Thank you!

[@jodyhardwick7711]

Hi from Australia. From so many miles away, I have felt hopeless and helpless watching the result yesterday. All of my friends in Australia are in shock with this news. Many have relatives living in America and they are frozen with fear. Please know that there are many of us around the world holding you in our hearts and wishing you strength and hope. Take care of each other. 💙

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you.

[@linalikesreading]

Well said, keep reading👏

[@muktasingh1658]

Great video

[@Ashrose1234]

Your words have brought me comfort in a very scary time. Thank you.

[@jonathanbrewer7072]

Thank you, Robert. Strong words and good reading recommendations.

[@fancyzebras3418]

Robert, I really enjoy all your content and you have been a refreshing thoughtful and intelligent voice on booktube. I am glad you put this out there because it is all of our moral obligation to speak up against fascism! You have given me some hope today!

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Thank you.

[@LindyS1830]

Thank you for voicing so eloquently exactly how I’m feeling. I am so sad and depressed. What happened, how can our fellow Americans literally want this. It seems they are so full of hate. You at least made me feel a little better. Have a better day!📚

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

I think the hate is born of ignorance and fear, but that still doesn't the answer the question of how we got here. It is depressing. It's time to reach out to family and friends, to strengthen those bonds which can help us survive the descending darkness.

[@Ms-Peepers-Reading-Corner]

Beautifully said, and thank you for the recommendations. It has been a really hard day for me, and, like you, I'm so disappointed in how many people chose hate and fear this week. It's so sad that reading and thinking for yourself have become political acts. Keep on doing both and encouraging others to do the same!! ❤‍🩹

[@amagran24]

Thank you for your words and recommendations

[@misuko1792]

I am so sorry for all the US people who still have some common sense. My heart is with you all

[@AmandaS18]

@@misuko1792 47🇺🇸

[@Richard.HistoryLit]

I would be more than interested in any comments you might have concerning my short video from earlier this year _The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire - Adrian Goldsworthy vs Peter Heather_ (start to finish)?

[@book-ramble]

Boethius is wonderful... not sure what he would say about fascism though. Robert Bolt's play A Man For All Seasons has a wonderful statement made by More: 'I trust I make myself obscure'.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

"Man For All Seasons": one of my favorite plays and movie. It had a big impact on me when I was younger. And it's stayed with me to this day.

[@book-ramble]

@@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p Indeed. And apt today.

[@ersatzsugar3385]

Thank you for this. ❤

[@paull9115]

BRAVO

[@scottroyle86]

Well said, Robert. We have to hold on to hope; fight, read books, make art.

[@WickedGoodBooks]

Needed this today, sir

[@paulvaleri373]

thank you

[@Barklord]

I've read Plato, Aristotle, Boethius, Erasmus (not More yet) etc. They're all wonderful, but Boethius wrote with an attitude of resignation in the face of defeat. I'm not defeated. I have to point out that liberal market ideology led to exactly this problem of fascistic authoritarianism and racism. It's been baked into the cake from the beginning. You're a historian, so you probably already know that. Maybe you'd accept a recommendation from me. It's called, *Liberalism: A Counter-History,* by Domenico Losurdo. As a blue-collar worker (baker) since 1990, who joined the US Navy during the Reagan administration and who was raised by conservative evangelicals, I have to call a spade a spade. Between 1997 and 2015, my employers bought and sold and closed 5 different places that I'd worked. It made raising a family near impossible. Workers have legitimate resentment about capitalism, but they're told to Scapegoat outsiders instead of joining together against the ruling class. With all due respect, if you think this is a new problem since the election of Trump, I think it's a symptom of academics being completely out of touch. We have to join together and reject market ideology as a political organizing principle. In 1950, Karl William Kapp wrote a book called The Social Costs of Private Enterprise in response to the (neo)liberals like Von Mises and Hayek. It clearly shows how perverted markets are. This is not an attack on you personally. We can't afford any more divisiveness. Please consider my suggestions. Take care.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

I'm not familiar with Losurdo, though his book sounds interesting, I'll happily accept the recommendation. However, I am familiar with the argument that liberalism carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. I tried to avoid the term in my post. Besides, "liberal" and "conservative" have lost all meaning in the political arena. They're just used cynically now as pejoratives. If I must accept a label it would be "humanist", and on some days " Catholic humanist".

[@Barklord]

​@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p That's why I was explicitly pointing to liberal market ideology, where the political authority is derived from private property and markets.

[@Barklord]

​@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p I think I was triggered by your insinuation that Hitler and Stalin are basically the same. That's really not accurate, and it undermines working class history.

[@EveningReader]

Thank you for this.

[@VanessaKittredge]

I could only muster the strength to get up and walk around the block today. My heart is so heavy. A thick blanket of uncertainty and dread covers me. I think I will read a mountain of books in these next years. 😢

[@ChrissyLiveDe]

First of all, I agree with your statement! 👍 Good video, suitable book selection. Greetings from 🇩🇪👍

[@TimeTravelReads]

Thank you. I want to say something on my channel too, but I'm not as well read as you. I'll think about it.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Speak from your heart. Raising your voice against Trump and his fascists goons, you can't go wrong.

[@TimeTravelReads]

@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p Thank you.

[@marnasorensen988]

I am deeply sad. If you know what to do....I don’t. I also recommend reading Dietrich Bonhoffer.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Stay close to family and friends, and keep reading. And pray if you're so inclined. That's all I've got for you. May God Bless You and Help Us All.

[@marnasorensen988]

@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p thank you.

[@MommyBee1589]

Thank you for this 😢

[@Rinthebelle]

Thank you Robert, I feel less alone

[@mwillis7791]

Right with you there. It is such a shock and absolutely devastating.

[@auntieayla]

Never heard of any of these books. Thank you for sharing. Great recommendations for this dark hour.

[@RetaD4]

I like your videos… please explain how the upcoming years are going to be “dark”?

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Trump's disrespect for the rule of law and The Constitution, his fawning praise for autocrats (Putin, and even Hitler), his amorality and anti-intellectualism, his insatiable hunger for power, his dishonesty and disregard for the truth, his toxic narcissism, and his demand for complete loyalty without reciprocation, all add up to a country which will be led with cruelty, cynicism, and violence, a true dark age.

[@NZAnimeManga]

“What we need to do now is to figure out some way to live in this new violent fascist regime.” I do wonder, in time, if the likes of you and Steve Donoghue will reflect on this kind of hysteria 🙄

[@cheyenneguest4495]

It's been a lot to process the news today especially in what it will mean for so many vulnerable groups who are trying to keep their rights in the face of fascism. I might have to reread Fighting Facism: How to Struggle and How to Win by Clara Zetkin just to get some comfort about what's going - its a good book that takes a look at why facism rises in places and why it appeals to people as it does. It also gives ideas on how to fight against it when you're aware of the tactics that are used by fascists to try and lure you in.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

I'm not familiar with Zetkin's book, but it sounds especially relevant. She was always ahead of her time. It's now on my TBR. Thanks!

[@cheyenneguest4495]

@@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p I read the book for a college class a few years back and it was so eye opening how Zetkin explains fascism and why it appeals to so many groups in her book in ways that make it easy to understand. Just a really good book that I think would help anyone who wants to understand how places can fall to fascism and how to combat it.

[@AdamsLeftyBooks]

Thank you for sharing.

[@BadTasteBooks]

Thanks so much for making your opinion heard! You're likely to lose subscribers, so it's a brave thing to do. I made one comment on my channel today and have already lost many. It didn't feel right to stay silent though.

[@Richard.HistoryLit]

I was ghost banned earlier this year for adding in to the description box hashtag st georges day. I kid ye not. The views were dramatically reduced. I deleted the hashtag... the views went back to normal. Plain as you like.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Troubling news. Thank you.

[@kaylag9579]

As a Canadian and what I have sort of gathered is a lot of Americans who are republican voters they wanted the person in their riding and not Trump. Now trump won the presidential riding and so people who still wanted the policies ended up voting for it. It may be a good thing in the fact now he can’t run again and he will be out in 4 years and people will probably vote someone else in and can move past this time.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Trump and his goons have made it clear they plan to remake the American government and abandon the constitution if necessary to realize their schemes. There might not be another election. But I hope I'm wrong.

[@sorayaassar1602]

@@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3pI’m afraid you might be right.

[@mwillis7791]

That sounds great in theory but he has divided our nation violently. His regime has already taken the protection of women’s right to health care away and that is just the beginning. He has a very racist, religious, and gun loving following that truly believe he can do no wrong. His words incited a mob and broke into our countries capitol and hunted down leaders they disagree with including the vice president and the time. Our country is violent, full of guns and hate, and now with a leader that has said he will be a dictator when he enter office again. We are scared and have every right to be.

[@daisycampbell8]

💙💙

[@ajsantiago78]

As an Australian I don''t profess to understand the full implications of what you are facing. What I can say is that people like you, who encourage reading for pleasure and education, are the ones who can help your nation most. The standard of education in the USA is most to blame for this outcome. If kids were taught in school how to critically evaluate rhetoric, reason logically, and navigate through unreliable narrators, it would be a lot more difficult for radical and phobic views to take hold. In most democratic nations where education is valued, radical politicians and and their supporters are in the minority. Unfortunately this has proven to not be true twice now in the USA. Keep encouraging a love of reading and learning, even if it feels futile. What my favourite novel, East of Eden, has taught me is that all cycles break eventually, and it's your choices that matter, not your circumstances.

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

Well stated. Thank you.

[@AloBal-n1g]

Sould intellectual stay quiet?

[@xMo29]

lol

[@Barklord]

KZbinr: Geopolitical Economy Report Video: Why Donald Trump won the US Election: Kamala Harris failed... (While Rashida Tlib and Ilhan Omar won in landslides)

[@AloBal-n1g]

Underground warfare? Grilla ? psychological war.propaganda?

[@tomcollen462]

It seems you feel terrible after realizing you are in the minority. Why do you believe so many others feel differently than you do?

[@madisonroberts744]

unsubscribed

[@andrewsalisbury4527]

Well, that was disappointing.

[@maninironmask7925]

This does not sound very intellectual or philosophical in the least. One must look inward, one must understand one's neighbors (Americans). One must understand the times and trends (Common sense). Outburst of emotion and emotivism do nothing for oneself or others. This betrays an enormous deal of lack of understanding. No matter how much one reads, wisdom can not be obtained through reading alone.

[@stanbrown32]

But people also should be clear on who Trump is, and what kind of movement takes evident joy in ugliness, brutishness, and threats of violence.

[@maninironmask7925]

@@stanbrown32 Perhaps some brutishness. But not blatant lies like the left, extreme propaganda, calling him Hitler, threatening the American people with the "end of Democracy", and many other banalities and stupidities that any true intellectual would belly laugh at to find people actually believing and being brainwashed by. Most of the things labeled are misinformation. The solution is to stop watching legacy media, or any media for that matter, go through a cleansing of sorts. Obviously, the American people, "We the People" have woken up to it.

[@maninironmask7925]

@@stanbrown32 Perhaps some brutishness. But not blatant lies like the left, extreme propaganda, calling him Hitler, threatening the American people with the "end of Democracy", and many other banalities and stupidities that any true intellectual would belly laugh at to find people actually believing and being brainwashed by. Most of the things labeled are misinformation. The solution is to stop watching legacy media, or any media for that matter, go through a cleansing of sorts. Obviously, the American people, "We the People" have woken up to it.

[@raemcmahon8216]

Love the book talk, hate you brought politics to your channel.

[@BrianAdamThompson]

Reality brought politics to the channel

[@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p]

I hesitated to bring politics to my channel, but I felt a moral obligation to do so. This wasn't a normal election. This wasn't between Democrats and Republicans. This was between the American people and a lawless anti-American cabal. How could I keep quiet?

[@jackievanwinkle]

Thank you Robert for deciding to bring light to this dark day, much appreciated. May we again one day deserve the sacrifices of our forefathers.

[@sorayaassar1602]

Thank you for speaking out - unlike Jeff Bezos. Sadly a billionaire is too afraid to speak but us little folk do. I agree. Morally we should say the truth. It’s not politics. It’s life.

[@Aypher]

America is dead, and we have killed it. Come to think of it, it was never alive.

[@AmandaS18]

WHAT? Trump 2024

[@metalkittens]

You are a disgrace of a female if you think he and his billonaire friends care about you. All these purposed "tax breaks" will be offset by these ridiculous tariffs on imported goods. These tariffs will launch us into a worldwide depression. Tax Policy Center and Peterson Institute for International Economics predict the typical U.S. household will pay roughly $2,600 to $3,000 more per year due to these higher prices. Trump promised Robert F Kennedy will be head of public health who has no expertise nor training in this field. The man who has a brain worm and a freezer full of roadkill to eat. The list goes on. He tells the uneducated people he's appointing to "go crazy". You just are acting like mindless follower. You like hiking or nature? Well federally protected land is going away to build more houses.

[@spikedaniels1528]

Amandas18 // Read more, and read broadly - it could help with the confusion here.

[@AmandaS18]

@@spikedaniels1528 I do, that’s why I’m able to think for myself and not fall for what others want me to believe.🇺🇸47

[@spikedaniels1528]

@ 👍

[@Lana4life19]

I am very very upset about this thank you so much for speaking out 🫶