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Our American Story Joshua Claybourn

Our American Story By Joshua Claybourn

Our American Story by Joshua Claybourn


$55.29
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Summary

With contributions from leading thinkers drawing on expertise within their fields, this book offers a series of essays providing a framework for the American story.

Our American Story Summary

Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative by Joshua Claybourn

Over the past couple of decades in America, the enduring, complicated divides of ideology, geography, party, class, religion, and race mutated into something deeper and more ominous. America now houses two distinct tribes, generally balanced in political power, fighting not just to advance their own side, but also to poke, prod, and defeat the other. The opposition between these tribes drowns out their love of country, each side scanning current events to advance their tribe's aims and narrative rather than the nation's. Recent survey data provides troubling evidence that Americans of both political parties sense the unraveling of a broadly shared consensus of American identity, and about seven in ten Republicans and Democrats fear that the United States is losing its national identity. Our country has lost its story - the narrative that unites us around a common multi-generational project and gives an overarching sense of meaning and purpose to our history. Too often modern American history and political commentary ignores a grand narrative and instead focuses on a series of power conflicts between oppressor and oppressed. With contributions from leading thinkers drawing on expertise within their fields, Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative, edited by Joshua Claybourn, offers a series of essays providing a framework for the American story. Drawing on their backgrounds as lawyer, historians, and public officials, each contributor will approach it with a unique perspective. Our American Story seeks to feature provocative essays taking up the arduous task of weaving a new national narrative in which all Americans can see themselves.

Our American Story Reviews

America is a story with a country, even more than it is a country with a story. Can we come together around a defining narrative or make our multiple narratives cohere? This thoughtful, diverse, and often impassioned collection - featuring a distinguished cast of theorists, historians, and politicians - offers something much better than pat answers: scholarly insight, personal wisdom, and an embodiment of America's questing spirit. - Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

At a time of increasing political, racial, and regional tribalism, with Americans finding it difficult to relate to one another, Our American Story admirably seeks a common story. - James Kirchick, author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age

If you are confused or, like me, fearful about what is happening to the United States, please read this book. It is calming and clarifying - we have been here before. Most importantly, it is an essential step toward addressing our problems. National narratives are powerful, and in this enlightening book, scholars from many fields will help you understand the conflicting narratives that influence our political thinking and behavior today. - Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the New York University Stern School of Business

About Joshua Claybourn

Joshua A. Claybournis an author and attorney working primarily with governmental entities and elected officials. His work has appeared in USA Today, the Hill, the American Spectator, National Review Online, American Thinker, and World Magazine, as well as numerous regional publications. On television he has commented on current events on CNN and MSNBC.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Part 1. Building Blocks of a National Narrative
  • 1. David W. Blight: Composite Nation?
  • 2. James V. Wertsch: Narratives as Habits of Thought
  • 3. Jason Kuznicki: The Plastic Age
  • 4. Ali Wyne: In Pursuit of an Idea: America's Ongoing Quest
  • Part 2. Conceptual Unifying Narratives
  • 5. Gordon S. Wood: Can the United States Be One People?
  • 6. John C. Danforth: Holding Ourselves Together
  • 7. Jim Banks: Society and Service
  • 8. Cherie Harder: The Story of Us: Community Cohesion
  • 9. Nikolas Gvosdev: An American Community
  • 10. Markos Moulitsas: A Dream for Anyone and Everyone
  • 11. Ilya Somin: Foot Voting Nation
  • 12. Spencer Boyer: Transatlantic Perspectives
  • Part 3. Stories as the Basis for Narrative
  • 13. Cass R. Sunstein: Embattled Farmers
  • 14. Eleanor Clift: America as a Social Movement
  • 15. Gerard N. Magliocca: Yankee Ingenuity
  • Part 4. Skeptical Approaches to an American Story
  • 16. Richard A. Epstein: American Minimalism
  • 17. Alan Taylor: One Nation Divisible
  • 18. Cody Delistraty: America's Broken Narrative of Exceptionalism

    Additional information

    NGR9781640121706
    9781640121706
    1640121706
    Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative by Joshua Claybourn
    New
    Hardback
    Potomac Books Inc
    2019-06-01
    224
    N/A
    Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
    This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time

    Customer Reviews - Our American Story