Understanding America

The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation

Contributors

Edited by Peter H. Schuck

Edited by James Q. Wilson

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$35.99

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$45.99 CAD

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  1. Trade Paperback $35.99 $45.99 CAD
  2. ebook $23.99 $30.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around April 7, 2009. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

What is America? Is it a hegemonic superpower, composed of ruthlessly selfish capitalists? Or is it a land of hope and glory, a shelter for the huddled masses, and a beacon of freedom and enlightenment? The definition of this complex nation has been debated substantially, yet all seem to agree on one thing: it is unique. The idea of an exceptional America can be traced all the way back to Alexis de Tocqueville’s nineteenth-century observations of a newly formed democracy that seemed determined to distinguish itself from the rest. Little, it seems, has changed.

Building on de Tocqueville’s concept of American exceptionalism, this collection of essays, contributed by some of the nation’s top scholars and thinkers, takes on the weighty task of sizing up America in a way its people and others can comprehend. Far more than simple history, they outline the current state of American institutions and policies — from the legal system to marriage to the military to the Drug War — and anticipate where these are headed in the future.
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Genre:

On Sale
Apr 7, 2009
Page Count
704 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9781586486952