Doors Open – 6:00pm
Talk Begins – 7:00pm
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Few words carry more weight in American life, or cause more division, than freedom. The idea once unified the nation, but now it has become the battle cry of a country at war with itself. Across the political spectrum, millions now feel their freedom is under siege.
In her new book The Trouble with Freedom, journalist and researcher Melissa Butcher travels through a deeply polarised America to uncover what lies beneath the surface of its culture wars. From small towns to big cities, she speaks with people from every walk of life: Democrats and Republicans, immigrants and Indigenous activists, the devout and the disillusioned, to explore how personal experience shapes political conviction.
What emerges is a complex portrait of a nation struggling to reconcile its ideals with its realities. Butcher finds anger and mistrust, but also unexpected moments of empathy, care and the hope of connection across seemingly impossible divides.
Join us for a fireside conversation with Melissa as we explore the paradox of freedom and ask whether it can still be the force that brings Americans together rather than tearing them apart.