Sarah Kendzior (born September 1, 1978) is an American author, anthropologist, researcher, and scholar. Kendzior is the author of ''The View from Flyover Country'' – a collection of essays first published by

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

– and is a former co-host of the ''Gaslit Nation'' podcast. In 2020, she published her second book, '' Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America'', which was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. In September 2022, she published her third book, ''They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent'', which was a finalist for a ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize. In April 2025, she published her fourth book, ''The Last American Road Trip'', which was a ''USA Today'' Bestseller.

Early life and education

Kendzior was raised in Meriden, Connecticut. In 2000, Kendzior received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

and, in 2006, she received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in Eurasian Studies from the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

. Her thesis was ''State

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

on Islam in Independent

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

''. In 2012, Kendzior earned a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in anthropology from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. Her dissertation was ''The Uzbek Opposition in Exile: Diaspora and Dissident Politics in the Digital Age'', and her advisor was John Bowen. Her focus of study was former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

totalitarian state Totalitarianism is a political system and a Government#Forms, form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely contr ...

s. Kendzior's dissertation was on how dissidents from Uzbekistan used the internet to challenge an authoritarian government in a climate of surveillance and distrust.

Career

From 2000 to 2003, Kendzior worked as an online news editor and writer for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

''. From 2012 to 2014, Kendzior was a columnist for

,. From 2016 to 2020, Kendzior was a columnist for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

''. She has also written for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'', ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

'', and other outlets. Some of Kendzior's journalism has focused locally on St. Louis. Kendzior has frequently appeared on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

on the ''AM Joy'' show hosted by Joy Reid. Kendzior and

Bill Kristol William Kristol (; born December 23, 1952) is an American neoconservative writer. A frequent commentator on several networks including CNN, he was the founder and editor-at-large of the political magazine ''The Weekly Standard''. Kristol is edi ...

were the main speakers for the 7th annual Public Values Symposium held on March 29, 2019, at the

University of Missouri–Saint Louis A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. The two speakers saw "eye-to-eye... on the importance of people speaking up for what they believe in the face of eroding societal norms." They disagreed on the role of American institutions, which Kendzior described as corrupt and unable to stave off authoritarianism, with Kendzior noting, “Belief in American exceptionalism is what got us here.” Kendzior was a featured speaker for the

Canadian Journalism Foundation Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is a non-profit organization that promotes Canadian journalism by celebrating journalistic achievement through an annual awards program; by operating journalism websites, J-Source.ca (Eng ...

's annual Ottawa J-Talk on April 9, 2019. Regarding her coverage of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, Kendzior has stated that she has had "three advantages":

Arthur Levitt Arthur Levitt Jr. (born February 3, 1931) is the former chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He served from 1993 to 2001 as the twenty-fifth and longest-serving chairman of the commission. Widely hailed as a ...

interviewed Kendzior about her book and career in a May 2019

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

for

Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...

. The ''

Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...

'' reported that because of her writings and expertise on authoritarian states, "as the new president came into power and the specter of Russian interference in his victory triggered Mueller's investigation, the

limos In Greek mythology, Limos () is the personification of famine or hunger. Of uncertain sex, Limos was, according to Hesiod's ''Theogony'', the offspring of Eris (Strife), with no father mentioned. Like all of the children of Eris given by Hesiod, ...

started lining up" to drive Kendzior to interviews at television studios because her insights are valuable to the public.

''The View from Flyover Country''

In 2015, Kendzior self-published her first book as an ebook – a collection of essays on the American condition first published by

starting in 2013 – called ''The View from Flyover Country''. In June 2017, speaking to an

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

conference,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

described herself as "riveted by... ''The View From Flyover Country'', which turned out to be especially relevant in the midst of our current health-care debate." In April 2018, Flatiron Books published an updated print version of ''The View'' . The ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' described it as a "collection of essays from the talented Kendzior, who writes intelligently and with great empathy about problems faced by the Midwest." ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' described Kendzior's ''The View'' as "an astonishment and a challenge to convention for all sorts of reasons," and described Kendzior as having "roared to the fore" because of her prediction of the 2016 election results, a result of having studied foreign demagogues and understanding deteriorating conditions in the U.S. The book was listed as a ''New York Times'' bestseller in May 2018. On May 13, 2018, ''The View from Flyover Country'' was listed as No. 8, "new this week", and summarized as "Essays detailing the 'post-employment' economy.".

''Gaslit Nation'' podcast

Together with Andrea Chalupa, Kendzior co-hosted a podcast, ''Gaslit Nation'', which originated as part of ''Dame'' magazine. In ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. The publication began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The print magazine's reported circulation is 275,000 as of 2023. ...

'', Joe Pierre stated that the podcast "frequently reminds listeners that the Trump administration is part of a '

transnational crime Transnational crimes are crimes that have actual or potential effect across national borders and crimes that are intrastate but offend fundamental values of the international community. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic ...

syndicate masquerading as a government'", stating that In October 2023, Kendzior announced she would no longer appear on the podcast.

Incidents during the Trump administration

In 2016, Kendzior wrote about similarities between

and the authoritarian leaders she had studied given Trump's admiration for Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

before there was widespread public awareness of Russia's interference in the US election.

Personal life

Kendzior lives in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, with her husband and their children.

Selected works and publications

Books

* * * *

Selected publications

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kendzior, Sarah 1978 births 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women writers American women podcasters American women television journalists Indiana University Bloomington alumni Journalists from Connecticut Journalists from Missouri Left-wing populism in the United States Liberalism in the United States Living people Missouri independents MSNBC people People from Meriden, Connecticut Place of birth missing (living people) Progressivism in the United States Sarah Lawrence College alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni