Has the American Dream quietly died — and no one wants to admit it?

For centuries, America stood as the shining city upon a hill — the nation others looked to as proof that freedom, opportunity, and democracy could flourish. But today, rising inequality, political dysfunction, and social fragmentation paint a very different picture. In Decline Of The West: The Death Of American Exceptionalism, author Nick Razertakes readers on a sweeping, unflinching journey through America's past and present to expose how the myth of American exceptionalism was built — and why it is collapsing before our eyes.

Drawing on history, sociology, and political analysis, Razer explores the birth of the American identity, from the Puritan covenant to the ideology of Manifest Destiny, the frontier spirit, and the triumph of constitutional democracy. He traces the golden age from 1945 to 1970, when prosperity, moral authority, and global leadership seemed to validate every American ideal — and shows how those very foundations began to crack under the weight of economic stagnation, deindustrialization, and growing inequality.

Inside, you'll discover:
✅ How American exceptionalism was created — from religious myths to revolutionary politics and frontier expansion
✅ The "golden age" narrative that still shapes our politics — and why it can never return
✅ The economic unraveling that replaced shared prosperity with winner-take-all inequality
✅ Democratic backsliding and institutional collapse — voter suppression, polarization, and the January 6 reckoning
✅ The social fabric in crisis — deaths of despair, mental health collapse, and the loneliness epidemic
✅ America's global reputation in free fall — and why the world is no longer buying the myth of U.S. leadership

Far from a doom-and-gloom rant, this book challenges readers to face reality with courage. Razer argues that America cannot restore its former greatness by clinging to a nostalgic vision of the past — instead, it must redefine what greatness means in the twenty-first century.

Brilliantly researched and powerfully written, Decline Of The West is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why the promise of the American Dream feels out of reach, why trust in institutions is at an all-time low, and what it will take to rebuild a society worthy of its highest ideals.

Perfect for readers of Chris Hedges, Francis Fukuyama, Jared Diamond, and Noam Chomsky, this book is for anyone who refuses to look away from the truth — and who believes that acknowledging decline is the first step toward renewal.