Simultaneously heartrending and a balm to the soul, the core of Stakes Is High is the present state of our country and our politics are not aberrations but instead reflect the path we've been on for years. As the author puts so eloquently, Trump is "a full expression of America's basest desires" and the "inevitable result of holding tight to the American Dream." And that American Dream is a farce, not "because of its relative unlikelihood, but because it rests on the very idea that inequality is natural and good."

As short as it is, this is a challenging and painful book to read, but Smith's skill with prose and his laser-like precision for describing our collective id make it well worth it.