Nation of Victims, Vivek Ramaswamy
Nation of Victims, Vivek Ramaswamy
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Nation of Victims
Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence

Author: Vivek Ramaswamy

Narrator: Timothy Pabon

Unabridged: 7 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 09/13/2022


Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author of Woke Inc. and a 2024 presidential candidate makes the case that the essence of true American identity is to pursue excellence unapologetically and reject victimhood culture. Hardship is now equated with victimhood. Outward displays of vulnerability in defeat are celebrated over winning unabashedly. The pursuit of excellence and exceptionalism are at the heart of American identity, and the disappearance of these ideals in our country leaves a deep moral and cultural vacuum in its wake.
 
But the solution isn’t to simply complain about it. It’s to revive a new cultural movement in America that puts excellence first again.
 
New York Times bestselling author Vivek Ramaswamy makes the case from firsthand experience that the essence of true American identity is to pursue excellence unapologetically—no matter your skin color or where your parents came from.
 
Leaders have called Ramaswamy “the most compelling conservative voice in the country” and “one of the towering intellects in America,” and this book reveals why: he spares neither left nor right in this scathing indictment of the victimhood culture at the heart of America’s national decline.

Following the success of his instant bestseller Woke Inc., Ramaswamy explains in his new book that we’re a nation of victims now. It’s one of the few things we still have left in common—across black victims, white victims, liberal victims, and conservative victims. Victims of each other, and ultimately, of ourselves.
 
This fearless, provocative book is for readers who dare to look in the mirror and question their most sacred assumptions about who we are and how we got here. Intricately tracing history from the fall of Rome to the rise of America, weaving Western philosophy with Eastern theology in ways that moved Jefferson and Adams centuries ago, this book describes the rise and the fall of the American experiment itself—and hopefully its reincarnation.

About Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy is an American business leader, New York Times bestselling author, and former top 2024 Republican US presidential candidate. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he went on to graduate summa cum laude in biology from Harvard and received his JD from Yale Law School, while working at a hedge fund. He then started a biotech company, Roivant Sciences, where he oversaw the development of five drugs that went on to become approved by the FDA. In 2022, he founded Strive, an Ohio-based asset management firm that directly competes with asset managers like BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard, and others, who use the money of everyday citizens to advance environmental and social agendas that many citizens and capital owners disagree with. Vivek is married to Apoorva, a throat surgeon and assistant professor at the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University. They live in Columbus, Ohio, where they are raising their two sons.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alan on March 13, 2023

Although this book has plenty of insightful analysis of the victimhood mentality currently driving American politics and corroding our society, I am skeptical of the recommended solutions to what I agree is a real crisis and national threat, solutions or proposals which strike me as social engineeri......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on July 17, 2022

Stacey Abrams == Donald Trump. And The Way Back Is To Ignore Both. Ok, so the title here was a bit intentionally inflammatory - but Ramaswamy *does* essentially make this very point late in the book, pointing to how both Abrams and Trump see themselves as victims of election fraud rather than candid......more

Goodreads review by Leonard on October 13, 2022

Vivek Ramaswamy set a very high bar for himself with his first book Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam. Although this book has its good parts it is less focused than Woke, Inc. Indeed, the author seems to be being a little self-indulgent by sharing a broad swath of his philos......more

Goodreads review by Michael on March 22, 2024

Victimhood status & identity politics has been on the rise in this country for a very long time. I found this to be an interesting read and well worth the time to read it, for knowledge's sake. This world, in general, and more specifically our country, these United States, are at stake. It is, in fa......more

Goodreads review by Todd on September 18, 2022

Vivek Ramaswamy is not your typical conservative. Some of his policy suggestions - such as the inheritance tax he discusses in the penultimate chapter - would be viewed as anathema by most conservatives and probably all libertarians. In "Nation of Victims," Ramaswamy has written the natural follow-u......more


Quotes

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s first book solved one of the strangest riddles of our time: how corporate America went woke. His new book addresses an even bigger question: how a nation that once celebrated heroism turned into a nation that celebrates victimhood. Compelling, persuasive, and deeply needed.”—Douglas Murray, Bestselling author and associate editor of The Spectator

“This book shows why Vivek Ramaswamy is one of the most original thinkers—and doers—of our time. Instead of wallowing in the left’s cult of victimhood and its recipe for mediocrity, Vivek challenges all of us to return to the path of achievement and excellence.”—Ben Shapiro, Bestselling author and host of The Ben Shapiro Show

“If you want an intellectually honest book that spares no side from their hypocrisies, Vivek Ramaswamy’s NATION OF VICTIMS is it. He delivers thought-provoking anecdotes about the foundation of our country and what has shaped his independent worldview in a way that encourages substantive dialogue, understanding, and respect.”—Tulsi Gabbard, Former congresswoman and Democratic candidate for president in 2020

“Vivek Ramaswamy presents a challenging alternative to a nation caught in a maelstrom of victimhood, calling on Americans to embrace the challenge of excellence instead. Along the way, he wrestles with the very real challenges of history as he slays the arguments of the woke. NATION OF VICTIMS takes on the strongest version of the modern left’s argument about who we are, and wins.”—Ben Domenech, Editor at large of The Spectator

“Life is difficult; often, tragically so, rife with suffering and betrayal. Thus, the temptations of victimhood eternally beckon. Why not adopt that identity, and reap the benefits that hypothetically follow? Because doing so makes everything worse, including the suffering that justified the decision in the first place. As Vivek Ramaswamy takes pains to explain in his new, necessary, and salutary book, NATION OF VICTIMS.”—Jordan Peterson, Bestselling author and host of The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

“America should be a nation of underdogs striving for excellence, not a nation of victims embracing mediocrity—the thesis of Vivek Ramaswamy’s latest brilliant book. Brave and bracing with a panoramic historical sweep, NATION OF VICTIMS is impossible to put down.”—Amy Chua, Yale Law professor and bestselling author