"An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family, and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures?"--

Traditional areas of civic agreement are vanishing. We can't agree on what makes America special. We can't even agree that America is special. We're coming to the point that we can't even agree what the word America itself means. "Disintegrationists" say we're stronger together, but their assault on America's history, philosophy, and culture will only tear us apart. Who are the disintegrationists? From Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United...

To better understand the present moment in American politics, we must look back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day during turning points in American history. Among other subjects, he writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator...

"Running water. Electricity. Antibiotics. Dentistry. Air conditioning. Democracy. The rule of law. Such things are not only remarkably new inventions in human history, they are all alien to humanity's natural habitat. Here is what is natural: poverty, hunger, violence, tribal hatred, and an early death. If the Garden of Eden existed, it was a slum. Only once in the last 250,000 years did humans lift themselves out of their natural environment of poverty....

Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics--a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of our democracy. He explores those forces--from the fear of losing, to the perpetual need to raise money, to the power of the media--that can stifle even the best-intentioned...

"In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children"--Book jacket.

America was built on nine distinct virtues which shaped the character of our nation and made it great. Grit, manliness, individualism, merit, profit and providence, dominion over our environment, thrift, and above all pride in our country -- these qualities define us, and are the reason that hundreds of millions of people worldwide look to America for hope, inspiration, and opportunity. But it's precisely these virtues that now are under attack by...

An iconoclastic look at America's past: overlooked episodes that shaped the nation's destiny and character. Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's inauguration in 1789, these narratives bring to light little-known but fascinating, myth-busting facts. Read the story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists; the coming-of-age story of Queen Isabella,...

After a career in journalism culminating in his twenty-two years as anchor of the NBC Nightly News and as bestselling author of The Greatest Generation, comes a powerful memoir of a year of dramatic change--a year spent battling cancer and reflecting on a long, happy, and lucky life.

Chronicles the happiness pursuits of the Eriksons from their 1970s coming-of-age to the near-present day, in a story told from revolving viewpoints.