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Thanksgiving And Politics: How To Navigate The Holidays Amid Trump Impeachment Inquiry

This Oct. 14, 2016, photo shows food from a Thanksgiving dinner from Martha & Marley Spoon in New York
Bree Fowler / AP
This Oct. 14, 2016, photo shows food from a Thanksgiving dinner from Martha & Marley Spoon in New York
Political scientist Darrell West of the Brookings Institution discusses his new book, “Divided Politics Divided Nation,” which explores polarization in America through his own family history.

As the impeachment inquiry against President Trump moves into the next phase, Americans will be coming together this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. But with the country divided over impeachment, that could make for some tense discussions across the dinner table.

It’s been said that the political polarization in America now is more intense than it’s been since the Civil War. But how did it get this way? And is there a way back?

RELATED: In An Increasingly Polarized America, Is It Possible To Be Civil On Social Media?

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Darrell West is the vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. His new book, "Divided Politics Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump Era," explores polarization in America through his own family history. West grew up in a conservative, rural community in Ohio and today his family is remains divided along party lines.

He joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss his new book and what he's learned about how Americans can begin to bridge their divisions.