How America Went Haywire

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published September 14, 2017 at 9:00 AM MDT

How did we end up here? How did America get to this post-truth moment, where the line blurs between reality and illusion? In a new book, radio host and author Kurt Andersen lays out a timeline for how we lost our collective mind. And really, it’s nothing new. America, Andersen says, has always been a country of true believers, wishful dreamers, hucksters and suckers, and we’ve always been uniquely susceptible to fantasy. Andersen joins us Wednesday to explore the 500-year history of a country going haywire.

Kurt Andersen is the co-creator and host of the radio program Studio 360, which can be heard Sundays at noon on KUER. He's also a columnist, critic, and the author of numerous books. His newest is Fantasyland--How America Went Haywire: A 500-year History [Independent bookstores|Amazon|Audible].

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Doug Fabrizio

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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