In 'Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,' Martin Luther King Jr. chronicles the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white male. The book describes the racial conditions in Montgomery before, during, and after the boycott, and it outlines the planning, execution, and aftermath of the nonviolent campaign. King also discusses his intellectual journey to nonviolence, influenced by various philosophers and thinkers, and highlights the community's response and the eventual attainment of desegregated city bus service. The book combines autobiographical, philosophical, and historical elements, providing insights into King's commitment to civil rights and nonviolence[1][4][5].
Written in 1919, 'The Second Coming' is a poem that reflects on the chaos and anarchy following World War I and the Irish War of Independence. It uses the metaphor of a 'Second Coming' to describe a transformative, potentially cataclysmic event. The poem is characterized by its apocalyptic imagery, including the 'widening gyre' and the 'rough beast' slouching towards Bethlehem. Yeats draws on his cosmological views, as outlined in his book 'A Vision,' to depict a world in turmoil and the cyclical nature of history[3][4][5].
This week on Gaslit Nation, we’re joined by the fearless, brilliant Carter Sherman, an award-winning journalist at The Guardian and one of the sharpest voices covering reproductive rights and sexual politics. Her new book, The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future, is a battle cry for Gen Z, a generation navigating the fallout of a stolen Supreme Court, Me Too, incel culture, and a pornified internet.
We dive into how young people are rewriting the rules of intimacy in the face of political oppression. Carter’s reporting brings us inside the bedrooms and minds of Gen Zers who are coming of age in a country where Roe v. Wade was overturned exactly as we knew it would be. A generation told they’re free is now wrestling with the reality that their rights are under siege, and for many, that anxiety has become physical. As one woman told Carter, she couldn’t even have sex without being hounded by Kavanaugh’s voice in her head.
This isn’t just a story of fear; it’s one of resistance. Carter shares how young people are pushing back, from Kansas voters defending abortion rights to college students canvassing in swing states. But she also warns of the growing threat: the rise of the Manosphere, where boys are radicalized by algorithm and learn to hate women before they can legally drink. What can young women and young men agree on? That the Democratic Party brand is toxic, because it's Republican Lite.
The Second Coming is a deeply reported, fiercely human portrait of a generation caught between tech, trauma, and tyranny. This week’s bonus show will look at the horror of Trump’s Big Evil Bill passing through Congress, and our discussion of Lillian Faderman’s landbook book The Gay Revolution–a resistance blueprint for us today.
Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make this show without you!
Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!
EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
-
NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First.
-
Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
-
Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
-
Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.
-
Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.
-
Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.
-
Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?
-
Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community
Gaslit Nation 
