We Need New Stories

A rigorous examination of five political myths used to deflect and discredit demands for social justice.

In 2016, candidate Donald Trump declared: “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct.” Reeling from his victory, Democrats blamed the corrosive effect of “identity politics.” In We Need New Stories, Nesrine Malik explains that both of these arguments are political myths—variations on the lie that society needs no reform.

Exploring how these and other common political myths function, she explains how they are employed to subvert calls for equality by historically disenfranchised groups. Interweaving reportage with an incendiary analysis of American history and politics, she offers a compelling account of how calls to preserve “free speech” are used against the vulnerable; how a fixation with “wokeness,” “political correctness,” and “cancel culture” is in fact an organized and well-funded campaign by elites; and how the fear of “identity politics” obscures the biggest threat of all—white terrorism. What emerges is a radical framework for understanding American politics and culture.

About the Author: Nesrine Malik is an award-winning British-Sudanese columnist and features writer for the Guardian, a contributing writer for Foreign Policy and a frequent panelist on BBC's Dateline London.