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The Black Arts How Opposition Research Weaponized the Truth and Changed Politics Forever
From a campaign operative and former staff member for President Obama, this brilliant dissection of modern politics is the first book to explain how political opposition research is done — and why it matters.
In the vein of Michael Lewis’ Liar’s Poker and Mark Leibovich’s This Town, Black Arts is the first-person narrative of a well-placed insider revealing the workings in a part of society that is as influential and powerful as it is unfamiliar. You’ll meet irreverent trash-talking campaign hacks and ordinary citizens volunteering in the “Resistance,” ride the ups and downs of an underdog Presidential campaign, and navigate through the fog generated by Trump’s political machine. John Burton shares the nitty-gritty details of how he finds and disseminates information and along the way, tell stories — some sobering, some hilarious — that have never been publicly told.
In our current moment of rising populism and distrust of institutions like “the media” and “the political establishment,” the lack of knowledge about how these institutions work becomes the vacuum in which distrust and conspiracy theories flourish. By offering a crystal-clear account of exactly how political campaigns and journalists interact, Burton interrogates the “fake news” debate, showing that a certain strain of populism grows stronger when we don’t understand how politics works. The Black Arts will empower the American people to participate in politics. Unafraid to “go low”, The Black Arts describes in unforgettable detail what it takes to win an election.
John Burton also has a powerful personal story. Growing up a black gay kid in working class Miami, he traced a path from the margins of our society through some of America’s most elite institutions of education, influence, and power. Perhaps the unlikeliest of political operatives, John Burton is an outsider’s insider.
In the vein of Michael Lewis’ Liar’s Poker and Mark Leibovich’s This Town, Black Arts is the first-person narrative of a well-placed insider revealing the workings in a part of society that is as influential and powerful as it is unfamiliar. You’ll meet irreverent trash-talking campaign hacks and ordinary citizens volunteering in the “Resistance,” ride the ups and downs of an underdog Presidential campaign, and navigate through the fog generated by Trump’s political machine. John Burton shares the nitty-gritty details of how he finds and disseminates information and along the way, tell stories — some sobering, some hilarious — that have never been publicly told.
In our current moment of rising populism and distrust of institutions like “the media” and “the political establishment,” the lack of knowledge about how these institutions work becomes the vacuum in which distrust and conspiracy theories flourish. By offering a crystal-clear account of exactly how political campaigns and journalists interact, Burton interrogates the “fake news” debate, showing that a certain strain of populism grows stronger when we don’t understand how politics works. The Black Arts will empower the American people to participate in politics. Unafraid to “go low”, The Black Arts describes in unforgettable detail what it takes to win an election.
John Burton also has a powerful personal story. Growing up a black gay kid in working class Miami, he traced a path from the margins of our society through some of America’s most elite institutions of education, influence, and power. Perhaps the unlikeliest of political operatives, John Burton is an outsider’s insider.
320 pages, ebook
Published May 1, 2021
21 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 22, 2023
It's easy to see why this was the feel-good story of the year: local boy Joe Rantz makes good, becoming a gold medal winner in Olympic rowing, a sport that has been hitherto dominated by elite ivy-league schools. But Joe and his unheralded lumber-jack, Depression-era crewmates stunned the world in front of Hitler himself. Yes, it's a great story.
What I found most fascinating about the book, though, are the parallels between the US and Germany. I'm very unclear if Mr. Brown drew these parallels consciously or not. One of these two countries was led back from the point of despair by a popular, charismatic leader who put people to work on large government-funded, centrally planned projects. Meanwhile, the Olympic committee leader made sure Jews were silenced and were no hindrance to the 1936 Games proceeding. In fact, the leader of the rowing crew hid his Jewish background (or rather, it was hidden from him), because antisemitism was so high that he probably would have been kicked off the team if it were know.
I'm talking, of course, about the USA. Facts like these should make people rethink the "Good War," the mythical beginning of US global dominance.
Still, it was stunning what the crew overcame to achieve immortality. Rowing in rain, sleet, and snow during practice. Humble beginnings for most of the crew. The hard work needed to pay a college bill, sans government loans. AND the blatant favoritism shown the German rowing crew versus the Americans: the US team, despite setting a qualifying record, were given the worst lane assignment for the medal event, and the start was carried out in such a way that the Germans and Italians got a two stroke headstart on the British and Americans. The author estimates all this gave the Germans a two boat length advantage. And still the US boys won! Truly epic!
So read the book. It's a glimpse into a different world. And it's stunning just how much drama crew racing can be!
What I found most fascinating about the book, though, are the parallels between the US and Germany. I'm very unclear if Mr. Brown drew these parallels consciously or not. One of these two countries was led back from the point of despair by a popular, charismatic leader who put people to work on large government-funded, centrally planned projects. Meanwhile, the Olympic committee leader made sure Jews were silenced and were no hindrance to the 1936 Games proceeding. In fact, the leader of the rowing crew hid his Jewish background (or rather, it was hidden from him), because antisemitism was so high that he probably would have been kicked off the team if it were know.
I'm talking, of course, about the USA. Facts like these should make people rethink the "Good War," the mythical beginning of US global dominance.
Still, it was stunning what the crew overcame to achieve immortality. Rowing in rain, sleet, and snow during practice. Humble beginnings for most of the crew. The hard work needed to pay a college bill, sans government loans. AND the blatant favoritism shown the German rowing crew versus the Americans: the US team, despite setting a qualifying record, were given the worst lane assignment for the medal event, and the start was carried out in such a way that the Germans and Italians got a two stroke headstart on the British and Americans. The author estimates all this gave the Germans a two boat length advantage. And still the US boys won! Truly epic!
So read the book. It's a glimpse into a different world. And it's stunning just how much drama crew racing can be!
April 17, 2022
This is the true story of nine young men, all students at University of Washington, that pursued the eventual goal of rowing in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. I read it for a book group and it piqued my interest. (Those kinds of historical stories are fascinating to me!) And I was not disappointed! It was very good!
I liked many things about the story. The young men involved were ordinary, and extraordinary at the same time. The whole story takes place during the Depression and life was tough for most of them. Joe Rantz in particular, stole my heart with his determination to make something of himself, besides just being a good rower on the team. His life was definitely not easy and it gives us a good idea of just how the Depression affected regular people. I also liked the boys’ coach and the George Pocock, the master shell builder. All the photographs are a real bonus to the story.
I particularly liked the section that chronicled the team’s voyage to Germany and their stay there. It was interesting to hear their impressions of Hitler’s “perfected world” as they lived a few weeks there. How Hitler hid his evil plans from the athletes, visitors, and broadcasts was scary to hear about, even now.
I was going to give this incredible story 4 ½ stars, just because the technical parts tended to be tedious reading for me. However, the incredible descriptive passages written by author Daniel James Brown, and the much-appreciated Epilog boosted it back up 5 stars! Apparently, there will be a movie of the book and its one we’ll see for sure!
I liked many things about the story. The young men involved were ordinary, and extraordinary at the same time. The whole story takes place during the Depression and life was tough for most of them. Joe Rantz in particular, stole my heart with his determination to make something of himself, besides just being a good rower on the team. His life was definitely not easy and it gives us a good idea of just how the Depression affected regular people. I also liked the boys’ coach and the George Pocock, the master shell builder. All the photographs are a real bonus to the story.
I particularly liked the section that chronicled the team’s voyage to Germany and their stay there. It was interesting to hear their impressions of Hitler’s “perfected world” as they lived a few weeks there. How Hitler hid his evil plans from the athletes, visitors, and broadcasts was scary to hear about, even now.
I was going to give this incredible story 4 ½ stars, just because the technical parts tended to be tedious reading for me. However, the incredible descriptive passages written by author Daniel James Brown, and the much-appreciated Epilog boosted it back up 5 stars! Apparently, there will be a movie of the book and its one we’ll see for sure!
January 10, 2024
Daniel James Brown takes us into the world of collegiate "crew" and the lives of an unlikely group of nine young men who "crew" their way to collegiate honors and beyond and the early years of Nazi Germany in which the rest of the world was hidden from their horrific intentions and how a single boat-craftsman connected the east to the west and ultimately how this legendary "crew" would leave its mark on the world and more importantly themselves...changing lives. For me this book has been legendary...
August 9, 2024
I did not see the movie so I can't compare it but this was a great book about a team coming together from all walks of life to accomplish something they could be proud of
April 6, 2023
The Boys in the Boat is a truly compelling story of the toughness that can grow from a life of challenge. The family of the young man at the center is clearly the source material that is the focus of much of the story, and that is both the strength and the weakness of the book.
Joe Rantz is a compelling young man facing long odds for success in raising himself during the depression years, which he does with no hint of whining or self-pity. He just goes about doing what he needs to do to eat and to sleep in safety. His resourcefulness is inspiring and remarkable.
I grew up in the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood of Oakland, California, not far from the University of California campus in Berkeley. The Boys in the Boat does the best work I've yet encountered describing the distance between the West Coast and the East Coast of American. As a young man in the Bay Area, I always longed to see Back East, where the Real World was. The author captures this spirit brilliantly, putting the entire enterprise into an almost existential context for meaning.
I was oblivious to the world of rowing that featured so prominently here, which makes the story even more compelling. The author does a splendid job of teaching about this world; as a reader I was quickly engaged in the players, tactics, strategies, equipment, history. It all came very much alive. The sport story at the heart of the Boys in the Boat is breathtaking, well-told, with great energy and suspense though the outcomes are already known.
Writing a story about a young man facing challenging family circumstances is a balancing act, presenting the obstacles without evoking a sense of pity and victimhood. The author here succeeds only partially, betrayed by his close identity with his source material in the young man's family. He was certainly not the only young person to have been cast into the world to cope on his own during the years of the Great Depression. And I didn't need to hear about what his girlfriend was wearing for a canoe ride to a lakeside picnic.
The other danger in focusing on the plight of a young man coming of age is in neglecting the larger stories unfolding. References to the larger economic forces at work in the country are few and random; the story of how a team of 45 young men and boats are paid for and transported across the country is avoided until the closing pages of the book.
And it isn't until after page 200 that there is a single reference to the fact that the members of the team are students, with responsibilities for coursework and relationships with professors. To find out in the closing pages of the book that young Mr Rantz graduates with a degree in chemical engineering reveals an essential element of what he brings to the story. This is an exceptionally bright young man.
And a word about the coaching is in order, beyond the author's success in portraying what was required to bring a group of roughneck kids to perfection in a demanding, grueling sport. I couldn't help seeing, again and again, how the coaching was portrayed as individually focused, with competition between the young athletes so prominently featured. This repeatedly undermined the central premise of what makes a successful team--cooperation, trust, interdependence. I only wonder why the author of The Boys in the Boat failed to recognize and identify this significant failure. That's a story of its own, isn't it?
The broader historical context of this story is treated respectfully with the descriptions of unfolding European history and the rise of Nazism in Germany. This is great storytelling, in setting the stakes for the ultimate competition in the Berlin Olympics, and in using this story as a part of the larger drama of world history.
It's fitting that the author's true gift is sports narration, allowing the drama of the capstone race to unfold almost in real-time. It's a cliffhanger.
Joe Rantz is a compelling young man facing long odds for success in raising himself during the depression years, which he does with no hint of whining or self-pity. He just goes about doing what he needs to do to eat and to sleep in safety. His resourcefulness is inspiring and remarkable.
I grew up in the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood of Oakland, California, not far from the University of California campus in Berkeley. The Boys in the Boat does the best work I've yet encountered describing the distance between the West Coast and the East Coast of American. As a young man in the Bay Area, I always longed to see Back East, where the Real World was. The author captures this spirit brilliantly, putting the entire enterprise into an almost existential context for meaning.
I was oblivious to the world of rowing that featured so prominently here, which makes the story even more compelling. The author does a splendid job of teaching about this world; as a reader I was quickly engaged in the players, tactics, strategies, equipment, history. It all came very much alive. The sport story at the heart of the Boys in the Boat is breathtaking, well-told, with great energy and suspense though the outcomes are already known.
Writing a story about a young man facing challenging family circumstances is a balancing act, presenting the obstacles without evoking a sense of pity and victimhood. The author here succeeds only partially, betrayed by his close identity with his source material in the young man's family. He was certainly not the only young person to have been cast into the world to cope on his own during the years of the Great Depression. And I didn't need to hear about what his girlfriend was wearing for a canoe ride to a lakeside picnic.
The other danger in focusing on the plight of a young man coming of age is in neglecting the larger stories unfolding. References to the larger economic forces at work in the country are few and random; the story of how a team of 45 young men and boats are paid for and transported across the country is avoided until the closing pages of the book.
And it isn't until after page 200 that there is a single reference to the fact that the members of the team are students, with responsibilities for coursework and relationships with professors. To find out in the closing pages of the book that young Mr Rantz graduates with a degree in chemical engineering reveals an essential element of what he brings to the story. This is an exceptionally bright young man.
And a word about the coaching is in order, beyond the author's success in portraying what was required to bring a group of roughneck kids to perfection in a demanding, grueling sport. I couldn't help seeing, again and again, how the coaching was portrayed as individually focused, with competition between the young athletes so prominently featured. This repeatedly undermined the central premise of what makes a successful team--cooperation, trust, interdependence. I only wonder why the author of The Boys in the Boat failed to recognize and identify this significant failure. That's a story of its own, isn't it?
The broader historical context of this story is treated respectfully with the descriptions of unfolding European history and the rise of Nazism in Germany. This is great storytelling, in setting the stakes for the ultimate competition in the Berlin Olympics, and in using this story as a part of the larger drama of world history.
It's fitting that the author's true gift is sports narration, allowing the drama of the capstone race to unfold almost in real-time. It's a cliffhanger.
December 5, 2018
I enjoyed the story and the buildup to the Olympics. However, I found the knowledge of how it ended made the book somewhat predictable. For example, Brown was discussing the competition to be on the top boat. For a long time, Joe wasn't there. I knew he'd get there eventually, though, since he was the main character. The same thing happened with the competitions leading up to the Olympic gold medal run. Even though their stroke was sick, they got stuck in a terrible lane, and didn't hear the starter, I knew they'd win. I can't imagine the excitement of actually living through the competition. Brown did try to keep the story as compelling as if you were there, but I just couldn't pretend I didn't know how it ended.
My favorite parts of the book were the rowing sections (which was opposite of most of the women at my book club, who enjoyed learning about Joe's home life). I didn't care near so much about Joe's troubled home life while growing up or if he'd get enough money to marry his high school sweetheart. They discussion about how Germany white-washed their actions in advance of the Olympics to persuade people they weren't a threat was fascinating. Would countries have moved against Germany sooner without the Olympics and all its propaganda? Makes you wonder.
My favorite parts of the book were the rowing sections (which was opposite of most of the women at my book club, who enjoyed learning about Joe's home life). I didn't care near so much about Joe's troubled home life while growing up or if he'd get enough money to marry his high school sweetheart. They discussion about how Germany white-washed their actions in advance of the Olympics to persuade people they weren't a threat was fascinating. Would countries have moved against Germany sooner without the Olympics and all its propaganda? Makes you wonder.
July 17, 2024
This was recommended to me by our Dragon boat caller. I'm so glad she did. I so related to the insights into the ways paddling and rowing being people together. How many make up one. ...such an inspiring book.
I was really taken with the way the author tied in history of world events, our countrys events and very individual events into one story.
Great book. I look forward to seeing the movie...hope it holds up to the level of the book.
I was really taken with the way the author tied in history of world events, our countrys events and very individual events into one story.
Great book. I look forward to seeing the movie...hope it holds up to the level of the book.
September 25, 2018
One of the best non-fiction books Iv'e read in the past few years. From its portraits of scrappy Depression era kids to the thrilling finish at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Brown grabs the reader and does not let go.
January 12, 2021
Loved this book, and the bonus is so many references to familiar Seattle and UW places. I walk by the boathouse several times a week, and with much more reference since I read this. I’m excited for the movie, which is delayed! Anyone know when it’s due out now?
May 14, 2022
This was a good story. I was definitely rooting for them, and inspired to see how they overcame the challenges thrown at them. It was also interesting to get a glimpse into Germany in the early days of Hitler. I did find it slow to read.
February 18, 2024
Read it because I wanted to see the movie. Very moving book about struggle in the Great Depression. Brown is able to link the story to background history without feeling like you're reading a history book.
October 7, 2024
Some of the best researched writing I've ever read! Amazing contextual history about America and Seattle at that time. Remarkable story and of course very meaningful to me since I rowed for the UW for one year.
August 20, 2018
One of the most compelling books I have ever read, and I don't expect to read many books quite like it.
December 31, 2018
The 25% of the story I loved but the other 75 read like a textbook and I didn't love. Just tell me a story
July 2, 2019
I’m in a book club. Have read many books. The Boys in the Boat is my favorite. Well written and a great story.
May 30, 2020
Excellent book about the 1936 USA Olympic Rowing Team. Lots of research into this book and a great snapshot into what was going on in the world.
February 2, 2021
I liked this feel good story of hard work rewarded. Learned a lot about a sport I did not know much about.
February 12, 2022
Loved it! Wanted to get up and cheer!!!
November 10, 2022
Never thought a book about rowing could be so gripping.
January 24, 2024
Everyone NEEDS to read this.
June 9, 2024
Now to see how it compares to the movie, which I haven't seen yet.
August 13, 2024
Such an amazing story of resilience determination and friendship
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews