The Book That’s Holding a Mirror Up to America, And It’s Not Pretty

 

Gary Screaton Page’s The MEAN-ing of America™ Is the Wake-Up Call We Didn’t Know We Needed

America didn’t become “mean” overnight. But according to Gary Screaton Page, it’s been brewing for decades, and now, the cracks are undeniable.

In The MEAN-ing of America, the Canadian author, educator, and observer of global democracy isn’t wagging a finger, he’s waving a red flag. This book is not just a political critique. It’s a deep cultural reflection, a historical unpacking, and, most importantly, a call to conscience.

If you’ve felt that something is off in American discourse, more anger, more division, more cruelty, you’re not imagining it. Gary Page connects the dots between history, politics, media manipulation, and cultural drift to show exactly how the United States became the polarized, performative arena it is today.

But here’s the twist: The MEAN-ing of America™ isn’t really about Donald Trump. It’s about us.

Not Just Another Political Rant

What makes this book different from the dozens of op-eds and partisan potshots flooding your feed? Nuance.

Page is thoughtful, thorough, and refreshingly non-American in his perspective, which is exactly why it works. As a Canadian, he brings both proximity and distance, admiration and concern. He’s like a neighbor watching your house catch fire… and begging you to turn off the gas.

Each chapter of The MEAN-ing of America™ is anchored in the U.S. Constitution’s founding ideals, unity, justice, domestic peace, and then contrasts those goals with today’s reality: a nation flooded with misinformation, paralyzed by partisanship, and spiraling in fear.

Yes, Trump features heavily, but not as the villain. He’s the metaphor. The symptom. Page argues that Trump didn’t break America, he revealed what was already broken. And if we want to fix it, we have to look past the headlines and into the mirror.

A Book That’s As Smart As It Is Scathing

Make no mistake, this isn’t an academic slog. Page’s writing is sharp, sometimes biting, but always grounded in research and realism. He weaves in court cases, riots, constitutional texts, and even Canadian parallels to build a case that’s as readable as it is revelatory.

He doesn’t pull punches: January 6 wasn’t just “a protest gone wrong,” it was an attempted coup. Project 2025 isn’t a fringe idea, it’s a real political blueprint. The war on facts, science, journalism? It’s not paranoia. It’s strategy.

But even in his toughest critiques, Page never let go of hope. He believes America can be better, not just because it once was, but because it still has the tools to rebuild. Democracy, he reminds us, isn’t a default setting. It’s a choice.

Why It Matters Right Now

As America barrels toward another election, The MEAN-ing of America reads less like a political book and more like a civic intervention. It asks the uncomfortable questions:

• Why are we so quick to believe lies if they suit our side?
• When did outrage replace debate?
• What kind of country are we leaving for the next generation?

In one particularly haunting line, Page writes, “The Founding Fathers gave us a blueprint. We handed them back reality TV.”

Whether you’re left, right, or somewhere in between, this book challenges you to care more, read deeper, and vote wiser. Because the meanest thing we can do, for our neighbors, our nation, and ourselves, is nothing.

A Must-Read for the Year America Decides Who It Wants to Be

The MEAN-ing of America isn’t just for political junkies or history buffs. It’s for parents. Teachers. Students. Voters. Anyone who’s ever asked, “What happened to us?”

In a world drowning in clickbait, this is a book that actually wants you to think. To feel. To act. And in an era when cynicism is the easy way out, Gary Screaton Page offers something far more radical: perspective, clarity, and maybe, even now, hope.