John Ganz’s When The Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, And How America Cracked Up In The Early 1990’s was listed on many best of nonfiction books for 2024. I would say justifiably so. Ganz has done an amazing job researching and weaving together the history of the first few years of the 1990’s.
In the early 90’s, like many others, I was buffered by the economic winds of the Bush years and experiencing the effects of eight years of Reagan’s trickle down policies. Many of us discovered that it was truly a trickle.
Reading Ganz’s book, I found myself thinking “I remember that”, “I didn’t know that”, and many times, “WTF that happened?” The book skillfully weaves together the stories of David Duke, Bush, Pat Buchanan, the rise of talk radio, the LA riots, Clinton, Ross Perot and, of course, our incoming president to name a few people and events. I was introduced to people who were new to me but key to how this period occurred. It’s an enlightening read.
As I read When The Clock Broke, I wondered how historians will look back at the last ten years. I’m sure that it will be different than what we remember.
John Ganz’s book is definitely recommended.
