Is America Broken—or Just Revealing Its Design?
📚A Conversation with Tony Aguilar on His Provocative New Book
In a time when headlines scream dysfunction and political discourse feels more like trench warfare than civic debate, Tony Aguilar invites readers to pause, reflect, and reconsider the narrative. His new book, Is America Broken or Has It Always Been This Way?, challenges the popular notion that the nation’s current turmoil is a sudden rupture. Instead, Aguilar argues that what many perceive as “brokenness” is the result of long-standing, intentional choices—social, political, and cultural—that have shaped the American experience for generations.
Sparked by a 2024 New York Times article questioning President Biden’s struggles, Aguilar began a journey of historical excavation and civic introspection. The result is a book that doesn’t just critique systems—it asks readers to confront their own role in shaping the republic’s future. With clarity, nuance, and a refusal to indulge in easy answers, Aguilar explores themes like immigration, race, and the enduring question of who gets to be called “American.”
In this interview, we delve into the motivations behind the book, the discoveries that surprised him, and the conversations he hopes to ignite. Whether you’re a skeptic, a patriot, or somewhere in between, Aguilar’s perspective offers a timely lens on a nation at a crossroads.
Tony Aguilar Interview
💡About the Book…
What inspired you to write Is America Broken or Has It Always Been This Way?
I was inspired to write Is America Broken or Has It Always Been This Way because of what I considered a simplistic belief that the nation is broken as opposed to it making an intentional choice about the nation’s direction.
Can you share the central message or thesis of the book?
The central message of the book is twofold. One is that the nation is not broken but rather that it is living out the result of intentional decisions whether socially or politically about issues that have been in existence for decades. Second is that despite complaints, it is ultimately the people who determine the direction.
Did any particular event or moment spark the idea for this book?
It was the 2024 NY Times article entitled Why is Biden Struggling: Because America is Broken which gave me the idea for the book.
How do you define “broken” in the context of America’s systems or culture?
Broken in the American context would mean that its institutions are no longer able to serve the population or that its politics is so toxic that elections seem like civil wars more than a contest of ideas.
What historical patterns or examples do you explore to support your argument?
When you study the issue of immigration, culture wars or race the issue of who is an American is a constant theme.
🧠Writing Process
How long did it take you to research and write the book?
It took approximately 18 months to write the book.
Were there any surprising discoveries during your research?
One surprise was about the abortion issue where I discovered that abortion was accepted up until the 19th century when Connecticut became the first state to make it illegal.
Did you face any challenges in presenting such a complex and potentially controversial topic?
The challenge as always is to avoid seeking to only justify your pre-conceived position.
🧭Personal Perspective
How has writing this book changed your own view of America?
Not really. America has always been a flawed nation, yet there is a large cross section of Americans who strive to make America become what John Winthrop described as a City on a Hill.
Do you believe there’s hope for meaningful change, or are we stuck in a cycle?
We are in a cycle, like every nation, such as the recent elections in the Netherlands show, populations go back and forth in their politics. Despite recent setbacks when we consider the progress that has been over the centuries from civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, workers’ rights, climate change there is hope for meaningful change.
What do you want readers to feel or think after finishing your book?
In the chapter entitled we have met the enemy, I hope people understand that their role feel that What I hope is that the majority of the nation will realize.
🧑🤝🧑Engaging with Readers
What kind of conversations do you hope this book will spark?
The conversation I hope it will spark is to look at the history of America in a more realistic light.
If you could sit down with one reader of your book, what would you ask them?
As we enter into the 250th year of our republic, I would ask how do you believe we have maintained our republic despite its flaws.
🔍Looking Ahead
Are you working on any follow-up projects or books?
I am presently working on my next book How do you know God spoke to you? I will also be restarting my podcast in December 2025, The Aguilar Conversations: A Global Perspective which features interviews about international issues.
What advice would you give to other authors tackling social or political themes?
The advice I would give is to be open to changing your mind about an issue or person if the research warrants it.
Looking Backward to Move Forward
Final Reflections from Tony Aguilar
Tony Aguilar’s Is America Broken or Has It Always Been This Way? doesn’t offer easy answers—but it does offer clarity. By tracing the roots of today’s political and cultural tensions through decades of deliberate choices, Aguilar reframes the conversation: not around despair, but around responsibility. His message is clear—if the nation feels broken, it’s because we’ve built it this way. And if we want change, it begins with us.
As we approach the 250th year of the republic, Aguilar challenges readers to look beyond headlines and into history, to ask not just what America is, but what it could become. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, his work invites dialogue, reflection, and—perhaps most importantly—accountability.
Stay tuned for his upcoming book How Do You Know God Spoke to You? and the return of his podcast The Aguilar Conversations: A Global Perspective. Until then, this conversation reminds us that the story of America is still being written—and we all have a pen in hand.