âI am a member of a party of one, and I live in an age of fear.â
These words were written by E. B. White in 1947.
Decades before our current political turmoil, White crafted eloquent yet practical political statements that continue to resonate. âThereâs only one kind of press thatâs any goodââ he proclaimed, âa press free from any taint of the government.â He condemned the trend of defamation, arguing that âin doubtful, doubting days, national morality tends to slip and slide toward a condition in which the test of a manâs honor is his zeal for discovering dishonor in others.â And on the spread of fascism he lamented, âfascism enjoys at the moment an almost perfect climate for growthâa world of fear and hunger.â
Anchored by an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, this concise collection of essays, letters, and poems from one of this countryâs most eminent literary voices offers much-needed historical context for our current state of the nationâand hope for the future of our society. Speaking to Americans at a time of uncertainty, when democracy itself has come under threat, he reminds us, âAs long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman . . . the scene is not desolate.â