Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction -- The cruelty of backlash: Welcome to the second redemption -- The cruelty of the lost cause: The myth of the kindly General Lee -- The cruelty of the lies we tell ourselves: The nationalist's delusion -- The cruelty of reconciliation: Civility is overrated -- The cruelty of the mob: The cruelty is the point -- The cruelty of the nativists: White nationalism's deep American roots -- The cruelty of the Stephen Millers: Not the right way -- The cruelty of conspiracy: Why Tamika Mallory won't condemn Farrakhan -- The cruelty of exclusion: What we do now will define us forever -- The cruelty of Philo-Semitism: The Jewish divide -- The cruelty of the Covid contract: The Coronavirus was an emergency until Trump found out who was dying -- The cruelty of the code of silence: Abolish police unions -- Conclusion: The slow fall of authoritarian America.