George Packer with Shane O'Reilly - The Emergency
Fri, Nov 7 at 1pm
On the cusp of America 2026, George Packer, distinguished author and social commentator, staff writer at The Atlantic and previously The New Yorker, previews his visionary, dystopian novel, The Emergency, which examines what it means to live in a time of upheaval. It is no coincidence that Packer is an Orwell enthusiast and edited a two-volume edition of essays by the author of 1984. The Emergency highlights the collapse of a fractured society, and the divisions that emerge in the aftermath, by following the impact on a surgeon’s family. “The novel is a gripping adventure and a vivid portrait of a family in a changing world” (Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize winner).
At the heart of The Emergency is the humane question: what can bring people back together? George Packer’s previous books include The Unwinding:An Inner History of the New America (winner of the National Book Award). He will be in conversation with Shane O’Reilly, actor and playwright.
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