Bridge Builders: Bringing People Together in a Polarized Age

by Nathan Bomey

Overview

In these turbulent times, defined by ideological chasms, clashes over social justice, and a pandemic intersecting with misinformation, Americans seem hopelessly divided along fault lines of politics, race, religion, class, and culture. Yet not everyone is accepting the status quo.

In Bridge Builders: Bringing People Together in a Polarized Age, journalist Nathan Bomey paints a forensic portrait of Americans who are spanning gaping divides between people of difference. From clergy fighting racism in Charlottesville to a former Republican congressman engaging conservatives on climate change and Appalachian journalists restoring social trust with the public, these countercultural leaders all believe in the power of forging lasting connections to bring about profound change. Though the blueprints for political, social, and cultural bridges vary widely, bridge builders have much in common—and we have much to learn from them. In this book, Bomey dissects the transformational ways in which bridge builders are combatting polarization by pursuing reconciliation, rejecting misinformation, and rethinking the principle of compromise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509545933
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Nathan Bomey is a reporter for USA Today based in the Washington, D.C., area and the author of two previous books, Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back and After the Fact: The Erosion of Truth and the Inevitable Rise of Donald Trump. He is a regular guest on TV and radio networks, including CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and NPR. He has also received the National Headliner Award, the Michigan Notable Books award, and multiple honors from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Follow him on Twitter: @NathanBomey

Table of Contents

Prologue: The Better Angels of Our Nature
Introduction

Part I: Forging a Path Toward Reconciliation
Chapter 1: From Blindness to Sight
Chapter 2: From Human to Human
Chapter 3: From Hating to Healing

Part II: Reconnecting with the Truth in the Misinformation Age
Chapter 4: From Fiction to Fact
Chapter 5: From Caricature to Nuance
Chapter 6: From Misunderstanding to Understanding

Part III: Redrafting the Blueprint of Compromise
Chapter 7: From Denying to Believing
Chapter 8: From Rigidity to Flexibility
Chapter 9: From Discord to Collaboration

Conclusion

Acknowledgments
List of Interviews
Notes

Editorial Reviews

In Bridge Builders Nathan Bomey pulls off the difficult feat of combining large ideas with very specific practical recommendations. The most obvious point to make about modern America involves the many ways it is divided. The subtler and more important truth involves the possibilities for connection and renewal. Bridge Builders lays them out.”
Deborah and James Fallows, authors of Our Towns

“The country may seem hopelessly polarized—but Nathan Bomey proves we aren't as far apart as we think. At a time when the politics of division and hate dominate the news cycle, his Bridge Builders shows how we can come together despite our differences. It's the book America needs right now.”
Joanne Lipman, author of That's What She Said: What Men and Women Need to Know About Working Together

“Nathan Bomey finds lessons from everywhere—from relationship counseling to mediation to the engineering of actual bridges—in this smart exploration of how to counter our polarized, petrified politics. He tells the stories of regular folks who are using innovative ways to better see and understand those who stand on the other side of a divide. Discouraged about the course we’re on? Here’s some hope.”
Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today and author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power

“In an era of division so stark that many people are seriously drawing parallels with the Civil War, Nathan Bomey's new treatise on ways to heal our house divided could not be a more welcome arrival. At this fractious and polarized moment, this is a book America truly needs.”
Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist

“Count on Nathan Bomey to focus on what America needs most as we struggle our way out of the viral and racial pandemics enveloping our country. Bridge Builders: Bringing People Together in a Polarized Age introduces us to warriors across the country who are building the structure of a new united America, building bridges of hope that our nation has ignored as much as those made of concrete, wood and steel. A must-read.”
Rochelle Riley, author of The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery

“Just enough time discussing the problem to make it clear why the proposed solution is needed and way more time spent on the who’s and how’s of the solutions. His concrete suggestions for action, taken from real-life bridge builders he interviewed, are refreshing and sorely needed in this time.”
Real Change News

“Bomey did an excellent job researching this book and speaking with people who are actively trying to decrease polarization and get people to have conversations … There’s so much value in this book and practical tools people can use to try and build bridges with others … this is an extremely important book.”
The Rewired Soul

From the Publisher