🇺🇸 American Society

Broad examinations of the social fabric of the United States—its values, contradictions, institutions, and evolving identity. These books attempt to make sense of a nation perpetually in the act of defining itself.

On Paradise Drive

by David Brooks • 2005

The future is America's home: a restless chase that never ends, consuming dreams along the way.

3.58

814

🏘️ Suburban America 🚗 Exurban Sprawl 🧩 Social Fragmentation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🔮 Future-Oriented Culture

On Paradise Drive 91%

The future is America's home: a restless chase that never ends, consuming dreams along the way.

by David Brooks 2005

3.58

814 ratings

🏘️ Suburban America 🚗 Exurban Sprawl 🧩 Social Fragmentation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🔮 Future-Oriented Culture

Coming Apart

by Charles Murray • 2012

Post-1963, the working class unraveled while a new elite sealed itself away.

3.81

6k+

🧱 Class Divide 📉 Cultural Decline 🤝 Social Capital 🏛️ Elite Isolation ⛪ Secularization

Coming Apart 91%

Post-1963, the working class unraveled while a new elite sealed itself away.

by Charles Murray 2012

3.81

6k+ ratings

🧱 Class Divide 📉 Cultural Decline 🤝 Social Capital 🏛️ Elite Isolation ⛪ Secularization

Made in America

by Claude S. Fischer • 2010

America never had a golden age. The core character of voluntary belonging held steady for centuries.

3.76

🗽 American Identity 📚 Cultural History 🤝 Voluntary Association 🔍 Myth Debunking 🏛️ Historical Sociology

Made in America 90%

America never had a golden age. The core character of voluntary belonging held steady for centuries.

by Claude S. Fischer 2010

3.76

76 ratings

🗽 American Identity 📚 Cultural History 🤝 Voluntary Association 🔍 Myth Debunking 🏛️ Historical Sociology

American Exceptionalism

by Seymour Martin Lipset • 1996

America's best and worst traits come from the same source: its founding creed.

3.50

116

🇺🇸 American Exceptionalism 🌐 Comparative Politics 🗳️ Political Culture 🏛️ National Identity ✝️ Protestant Work Ethic

American Exceptionalism 90%

America's best and worst traits come from the same source: its founding creed.

by Seymour Martin Lipset 1996

3.50

116 ratings

🇺🇸 American Exceptionalism 🌐 Comparative Politics 🗳️ Political Culture 🏛️ National Identity ✝️ Protestant Work Ethic

Habits of the Heart

by Robert N. Bellah • 1985

America's faith in the autonomous self has hollowed out its communities and left citizens isolated.

3.89

1k+

🏛️ Political Sociology 🌐 Individualism Critique 🔨 Work And Meaning 🤝 Social Capital 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

Habits of the Heart 90%

America's faith in the autonomous self has hollowed out its communities and left citizens isolated.

by Robert N. Bellah 1985

3.89

1k+ ratings

🏛️ Political Sociology 🌐 Individualism Critique 🔨 Work And Meaning 🤝 Social Capital 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

The Pursuit of Loneliness

by Philip Slater • 1970

America chose self-reliance. It got loneliness, and the hidden need for others is turning to rage.

4.08

287

🏛️ Cultural Criticism 🇺🇸 American Culture 🏚️ Social Alienation 🧍 Individualism Critique ⚙️ Technological Critique

The Pursuit of Loneliness 90%

America chose self-reliance. It got loneliness, and the hidden need for others is turning to rage.

by Philip Slater 1970

4.08

287 ratings

🏛️ Cultural Criticism 🇺🇸 American Culture 🏚️ Social Alienation 🧍 Individualism Critique ⚙️ Technological Critique

Why Nothing Works

by Marvin Harris • 1981

An anthropologist finds that broken toasters, inflation, and cults share a single cause.

3.76

264

🏛️ Cultural Anthropology 📖 Cultural Criticism 📊 Political Economy 🏪 Service Economy 🛒 Consumer Culture

Why Nothing Works 90%

An anthropologist finds that broken toasters, inflation, and cults share a single cause.

by Marvin Harris 1981

3.76

264 ratings

🏛️ Cultural Anthropology 📖 Cultural Criticism 📊 Political Economy 🏪 Service Economy 🛒 Consumer Culture

The Left Behind

by Robert Wuthnow • 2018

Rural America's anger is grief: not for lost jobs, but for communities where belonging meant duty.

3.58

650

🏡 Rural America 😤 Cultural Resentment 🏙️ Urban Rural Divide 📉 Moral Decline ⛪ Religion And Politics

The Left Behind 90%

Rural America's anger is grief: not for lost jobs, but for communities where belonging meant duty.

by Robert Wuthnow 2018

3.58

650 ratings

🏡 Rural America 😤 Cultural Resentment 🏙️ Urban Rural Divide 📉 Moral Decline ⛪ Religion And Politics

The Upswing

by Robert D. Putnam • 2020

America swings between "we" and "me" eras. The pivot decade was the 1960s.

3.94

2k+

📈 Economic History 🏛️ Political Polarization 🏘️ Civic Decline 💰 Income Inequality 🤝 Social Capital

The Upswing 90%

America swings between "we" and "me" eras. The pivot decade was the 1960s.

by Robert D. Putnam 2020

3.94

2k+ ratings

📈 Economic History 🏛️ Political Polarization 🏘️ Civic Decline 💰 Income Inequality 🤝 Social Capital

Individualism and Commitment in American Life

by Robert N. Bellah • 1989

America built its democracy on shared moral traditions. Then it built a culture that erased them.

4.13

🏛️ Civic Republicanism 🤝 Civil Society 👥 Communitarianism 🧩 Self And Society 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

Individualism and Commitment in American Life Summary

Individualism and Commitment in American Life 90%

America built its democracy on shared moral traditions. Then it built a culture that erased them.

by Robert N. Bellah 1989

4.13

15 ratings

🏛️ Civic Republicanism 🤝 Civil Society 👥 Communitarianism 🧩 Self And Society 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

The Next America

by Paul Taylor • 2014

By 2033 the safety net runs dry. The generation expected to save it is already underwater.

3.67

697

🏛️ Generational Conflict 📊 Demographic Change 🏥 Social Safety Net 💰 Wealth Inequality 📈 Economic Mobility

The Next America 89%

By 2033 the safety net runs dry. The generation expected to save it is already underwater.

by Paul Taylor 2014

3.67

697 ratings

🏛️ Generational Conflict 📊 Demographic Change 🏥 Social Safety Net 💰 Wealth Inequality 📈 Economic Mobility

Bobos in Paradise

by David Brooks • 2000

Why the new elite spends fortunes on kitchen stoves but despises luxury cars.

3.62

5k+

🏛️ American Elites 📊 Class Analysis 🎭 Cultural Capital 📡 Status Signaling 🏢 Information Economy

Bobos in Paradise 89%

Why the new elite spends fortunes on kitchen stoves but despises luxury cars.

by David Brooks 2000

3.62

5k+ ratings

🏛️ American Elites 📊 Class Analysis 🎭 Cultural Capital 📡 Status Signaling 🏢 Information Economy

The Age of Abundance

by Brink Lindsey • 2007

Postwar abundance split America into two rival faiths; their deadlock still defines us.

3.51

134

🇺🇸 Postwar America 💰 Mass Affluence ✌️ Counterculture ⛪ Evangelical Politics 🏛️ Political Realignment

The Age of Abundance 89%

Postwar abundance split America into two rival faiths; their deadlock still defines us.

by Brink Lindsey 2007

3.51

134 ratings

🇺🇸 Postwar America 💰 Mass Affluence ✌️ Counterculture ⛪ Evangelical Politics 🏛️ Political Realignment

The Twilight of Common Dreams

by Todd Gitlin • 1995

The Left abandoned class for identity, and the Right took the country. An anatomy of surrender.

3.43

🔥 Culture Wars 🏷️ Identity Politics 💸 Class Inequality 🇺🇸 American Identity 🌍 Multiculturalism

The Twilight of Common Dreams 89%

The Left abandoned class for identity, and the Right took the country. An anatomy of surrender.

by Todd Gitlin 1995

3.43

53 ratings

🔥 Culture Wars 🏷️ Identity Politics 💸 Class Inequality 🇺🇸 American Identity 🌍 Multiculturalism

The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy

by Christopher Lasch • 1995

The new elite left the country behind, and they took the institutions with them.

3.95

2k+

🏛️ Civic Virtue 🏙️ Elite Insularity 📈 American Meritocracy 📉 Middle Class Decline 🗣️ Public Deliberation

The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy Summary

The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy 89%

The new elite left the country behind, and they took the institutions with them.

by Christopher Lasch 1995

3.95

2k+ ratings

🏛️ Civic Virtue 🏙️ Elite Insularity 📈 American Meritocracy 📉 Middle Class Decline 🗣️ Public Deliberation

The Big Change

by Frederick Lewis Allen • 1952

America went from farmers to superpower in fifty years: the metamorphosis that reshaped its soul.

3.95

243

📖 American History 🕰️ Early 20th Century 🔄 Economic Transformation 📈 Social Mobility 🏢 Corporate America

The Big Change 89%

America went from farmers to superpower in fifty years: the metamorphosis that reshaped its soul.

by Frederick Lewis Allen 1952

3.95

243 ratings

📖 American History 🕰️ Early 20th Century 🔄 Economic Transformation 📈 Social Mobility 🏢 Corporate America

The Culture of Narcissism

by Christopher Lasch • 1978

The self-obsessed aren't full of themselves. They're empty, and the culture keeps them that way.

3.96

4k+

🧐 Cultural Criticism 🇺🇸 Postwar America 🏚️ Social Atomization 🛒 Consumer Culture 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

The Culture of Narcissism 89%

The self-obsessed aren't full of themselves. They're empty, and the culture keeps them that way.

by Christopher Lasch 1978

3.96

4k+ ratings

🧐 Cultural Criticism 🇺🇸 Postwar America 🏚️ Social Atomization 🛒 Consumer Culture 🛋️ Therapeutic Culture

White Collar

by C. Wright Mills • 1951

Shop to office: the middle class got a salary, borrowed status, and a personality for sale.

4.04

269

🏢 Class Analysis ⚙️ Work Alienation 🗃️ Bureaucracy Critique 📊 Status Anxiety 🎭 Emotional Labor

White Collar 89%

Shop to office: the middle class got a salary, borrowed status, and a personality for sale.

by C. Wright Mills 1951

4.04

269 ratings

🏢 Class Analysis ⚙️ Work Alienation 🗃️ Bureaucracy Critique 📊 Status Anxiety 🎭 Emotional Labor

The Age of American Unreason

by Susan Jacoby • 2008

Suspicion of ideas predates the American republic. The forces feeding it have never been louder.

3.85

3k+

🧠 Anti-Intellectualism 🎭 Cultural Criticism 📚 Intellectual History 📺 Media Criticism 🔬 Science Denial

The Age of American Unreason 89%

Suspicion of ideas predates the American republic. The forces feeding it have never been louder.

by Susan Jacoby 2008

3.85

3k+ ratings

🧠 Anti-Intellectualism 🎭 Cultural Criticism 📚 Intellectual History 📺 Media Criticism 🔬 Science Denial

The Good Society

by Robert N. Bellah • 1991

Individualism gutted our institutions. Repair begins where the myth ends: we need each other.

3.66

105

🏘️ Communitarianism 🗳️ American Civic Life 🏛️ Democratic Theory 💰 Market Criticism ⚖️ Moral Economy

The Good Society 89%

Individualism gutted our institutions. Repair begins where the myth ends: we need each other.

by Robert N. Bellah 1991

3.66

105 ratings

🏘️ Communitarianism 🗳️ American Civic Life 🏛️ Democratic Theory 💰 Market Criticism ⚖️ Moral Economy

These Truths

by Jill Lepore • 2018

American politics is a 500-year argument over who counts as a person and whose truth prevails.

4.40

14k+

🇺🇸 American Paradox 📜 National Founding Myths 🔍 Truth In Politics 📰 Media And Democracy ⛓️ Slavery And Freedom

These Truths 89%

American politics is a 500-year argument over who counts as a person and whose truth prevails.

by Jill Lepore 2018

4.40

14k+ ratings

🇺🇸 American Paradox 📜 National Founding Myths 🔍 Truth In Politics 📰 Media And Democracy ⛓️ Slavery And Freedom

The Last American Road Trip

by Sarah Kendzior • 2025

Route 66 promised reinvention. One family drives its ruins to find what's left of America.

3.84

2k+

🗺️ Middle America 🛣️ Family Road Trips 🏛️ Political Corruption 🇺🇸 American Mythmaking 🔥 Climate Grief

The Last American Road Trip 89%

Route 66 promised reinvention. One family drives its ruins to find what's left of America.

by Sarah Kendzior 2025

3.84

2k+ ratings

🗺️ Middle America 🛣️ Family Road Trips 🏛️ Political Corruption 🇺🇸 American Mythmaking 🔥 Climate Grief

The True and Only Heaven

by Christopher Lasch • 1991

Progress is exhausted; the only usable past belongs to those who doubted it.

4.36

382

🕰️ Critique Of Modernity 🧠 Intellectual History 🎭 Cultural Criticism 🏛️ Virtue Ethics 🌾 Populism

The True and Only Heaven 89%

Progress is exhausted; the only usable past belongs to those who doubted it.

by Christopher Lasch 1991

4.36

382 ratings

🕰️ Critique Of Modernity 🧠 Intellectual History 🎭 Cultural Criticism 🏛️ Virtue Ethics 🌾 Populism

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

by Joan Didion • 1968

At the continent's edge, the American dream frays into murder, lost children, self-deception.

4.18

85k+

✍️ New Journalism 🔍 Cultural Criticism 🌸 California Counterculture 🏚️ American Dream Critique 🎬 Hollywood Critique

Slouching Towards Bethlehem 89%

At the continent's edge, the American dream frays into murder, lost children, self-deception.

by Joan Didion 1968

4.18

85k+ ratings

✍️ New Journalism 🔍 Cultural Criticism 🌸 California Counterculture 🏚️ American Dream Critique 🎬 Hollywood Critique

Exceptional America

by Mugambi Jouet • 2017

Why the richest democracy has the most prisoners, the angriest politics, and the fiercest faith.

3.98

🌍 Comparative Politics ⚡ Political Polarization 🧠 Anti-Intellectualism ⛪ Christian Fundamentalism 🔗 Mass Incarceration

Exceptional America 89%

Why the richest democracy has the most prisoners, the angriest politics, and the fiercest faith.

by Mugambi Jouet 2017

3.98

51 ratings

🌍 Comparative Politics ⚡ Political Polarization 🧠 Anti-Intellectualism ⛪ Christian Fundamentalism 🔗 Mass Incarceration

American Made

by Farah Stockman • 2021

Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.

4.31

1k+

🏭 Deindustrialization 🏚️ Rust Belt 👷 Working Class America 🤝 Race And Class 💼 Labor And Identity

American Made 89%

Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.

by Farah Stockman 2021

4.31

1k+ ratings

🏭 Deindustrialization 🏚️ Rust Belt 👷 Working Class America 🤝 Race And Class 💼 Labor And Identity

The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism

by Daniel Bell • 1976

Capitalism demands discipline at work and hedonism at leisure. The contradiction is catching up.

3.83

301

📊 Political Economy 🎭 Cultural Criticism 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏛️ Secularization 🏥 Welfare State

The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism Summary

The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism 89%

Capitalism demands discipline at work and hedonism at leisure. The contradiction is catching up.

by Daniel Bell 1976

3.83

301 ratings

📊 Political Economy 🎭 Cultural Criticism 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏛️ Secularization 🏥 Welfare State

Bowling Alone

by Robert D. Putnam • 2000

The clubs emptied and Americans stopped voting. The damage goes deeper than loneliness.

3.85

9k+

🏛️ Social Capital 🗳️ Civic Engagement 📉 Community Decline 🏠 Social Isolation 🔄 Generational Change

Bowling Alone 89%

The clubs emptied and Americans stopped voting. The damage goes deeper than loneliness.

by Robert D. Putnam 2000

3.85

9k+ ratings

🏛️ Social Capital 🗳️ Civic Engagement 📉 Community Decline 🏠 Social Isolation 🔄 Generational Change

The Next American Nation

by Michael Lind • 1995

Three racial orders have governed America. The fourth has no use for race at all.

3.95

📜 American Nationalism 🏴 National Identity 🕊️ Liberal Nationalism ⚖️ Color-Blind Policy 🗳️ Racial Politics

The Next American Nation 89%

Three racial orders have governed America. The fourth has no use for race at all.

by Michael Lind 1995

3.95

87 ratings

📜 American Nationalism 🏴 National Identity 🕊️ Liberal Nationalism ⚖️ Color-Blind Policy 🗳️ Racial Politics

Mad Men and Philosophy

by Rod Carveth • 2010

The philosophy hidden inside Mad Men: identity, desire, and the dark side of the American dream.

3.58

612

🎬 Pop Culture Philosophy 📺 Tv Criticism 📢 Advertising Ethics 🎭 Identity And Selfhood 🏚️ American Dream Critique

Mad Men and Philosophy 89%

The philosophy hidden inside Mad Men: identity, desire, and the dark side of the American dream.

by Rod Carveth 2010

3.58

612 ratings

🎬 Pop Culture Philosophy 📺 Tv Criticism 📢 Advertising Ethics 🎭 Identity And Selfhood 🏚️ American Dream Critique

Nations Apart

by Colin Woodard • 2025

Your politics and lifespan were set centuries ago, by whichever settlers claimed your region.

4.10

309

🗺️ American Regionalism 🌎 Cultural Geography 📜 Historical Narratives ⚠️ Authoritarian Threat 🗽 Civic Nationalism

Nations Apart 89%

Your politics and lifespan were set centuries ago, by whichever settlers claimed your region.

by Colin Woodard 2025

4.10

309 ratings

🗺️ American Regionalism 🌎 Cultural Geography 📜 Historical Narratives ⚠️ Authoritarian Threat 🗽 Civic Nationalism

The Lost Continent

by Bill Bryson • 1989

He drove across America looking for the perfect small town. He mostly found parking lots.

3.81

65k+

🚗 American Road Trips 🏘️ Small-Town Life 🇺🇸 American Nostalgia 🛒 Consumer Culture 😂 Travel Humor

The Lost Continent 89%

He drove across America looking for the perfect small town. He mostly found parking lots.

by Bill Bryson 1989

3.81

65k+ ratings

🚗 American Road Trips 🏘️ Small-Town Life 🇺🇸 American Nostalgia 🛒 Consumer Culture 😂 Travel Humor

America

by Chris Hedges • 2018

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

4.23

3k+

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis ⚙️ Working Class Erosion 📕 Marxist Critique

America 89%

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

by Chris Hedges 2018

4.23

3k+ ratings

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis ⚙️ Working Class Erosion 📕 Marxist Critique

The Liberal Tradition in America

by Louis Hartz • 1955

Skipping feudalism made America free, and that freedom imprisoned it inside a single idea.

3.63

158

🇺🇸 American Exceptionalism 🤝 Liberal Consensus 🐑 Political Conformity 🚩 Failure Of Socialism 📜 Consensus History

The Liberal Tradition in America Summary

The Liberal Tradition in America 89%

Skipping feudalism made America free, and that freedom imprisoned it inside a single idea.

by Louis Hartz 1955

3.63

158 ratings

🇺🇸 American Exceptionalism 🤝 Liberal Consensus 🐑 Political Conformity 🚩 Failure Of Socialism 📜 Consensus History

The Myth of American Exceptionalism

by Godfrey Hodgson • 2009

America's founding myths were built on misreadings. Corrupted, they now fuel inequality and war.

3.46

115

🇺🇸 American Foreign Policy 🏛 National Myths 📚 Historical Revisionism 💰 Global Inequality 🔗 Mass Incarceration

The Myth of American Exceptionalism Summary

The Myth of American Exceptionalism 89%

America's founding myths were built on misreadings. Corrupted, they now fuel inequality and war.

by Godfrey Hodgson 2009

3.46

115 ratings

🇺🇸 American Foreign Policy 🏛 National Myths 📚 Historical Revisionism 💰 Global Inequality 🔗 Mass Incarceration

The Closing of the American Mind

by Allan Bloom • 1988

A dogma that all truths are equal has hollowed the American mind, starting on campus.

3.76

6k+

🏛️ Higher Education Critique 🌐 American Culture Wars 🤷 Moral Relativism 📚 Western Canon Debate 🏗️ Critique Of Modernity

The Closing of the American Mind Summary

The Closing of the American Mind 89%

A dogma that all truths are equal has hollowed the American mind, starting on campus.

by Allan Bloom 1988

3.76

6k+ ratings

🏛️ Higher Education Critique 🌐 American Culture Wars 🤷 Moral Relativism 📚 Western Canon Debate 🏗️ Critique Of Modernity

Fragmented Democracy

by Jamila Michener • 2018

Your zip code decides your Medicaid benefits. It also decides whether you bother with politics.

4.23

120

🏛️ American Federalism 🏥 Health Policy ⚖️ Political Inequality 🏢 Bureaucratic Encounters 🔗 Race And Poverty

Fragmented Democracy 89%

Your zip code decides your Medicaid benefits. It also decides whether you bother with politics.

by Jamila Michener 2018

4.23

120 ratings

🏛️ American Federalism 🏥 Health Policy ⚖️ Political Inequality 🏢 Bureaucratic Encounters 🔗 Race And Poverty

Breaking Bad and Philosophy

by David R. Koepsell • 2012

A philosophy class uses Walter White to dissect moral rot, freedom, and the American Dream.

3.30

274

🎬 Media Philosophy 📺 Tv Criticism ⚖️ Applied Ethics 🧠 Existentialism 🇺🇸 American Dream Critique

Breaking Bad and Philosophy 89%

A philosophy class uses Walter White to dissect moral rot, freedom, and the American Dream.

by David R. Koepsell 2012

3.30

274 ratings

🎬 Media Philosophy 📺 Tv Criticism ⚖️ Applied Ethics 🧠 Existentialism 🇺🇸 American Dream Critique

Twilight of the Elites

by Christopher L. Hayes • 2012

Why meritocracy always becomes a rigged game, a distant elite, and a trust crisis.

3.99

6k+

🏛️ Meritocracy Critique 💰 Economic Inequality 🏰 Elite Disconnect 🎓 Credentialism 📈 Social Mobility

Twilight of the Elites 89%

Why meritocracy always becomes a rigged game, a distant elite, and a trust crisis.

by Christopher L. Hayes 2012

3.99

6k+ ratings

🏛️ Meritocracy Critique 💰 Economic Inequality 🏰 Elite Disconnect 🎓 Credentialism 📈 Social Mobility

The Market Revolution in America

by John Lauritz Larson • 2009

From the Erie Canal to the cotton fields, free markets built America and then tore it apart.

3.60

🏦 American Economic History 📜 Antebellum America 🗳️ Capitalism And Democracy ⚖️ Political Economy 🔨 Labor History

The Market Revolution in America Summary

The Market Revolution in America 89%

From the Erie Canal to the cotton fields, free markets built America and then tore it apart.

by John Lauritz Larson 2009

3.60

88 ratings

🏦 American Economic History 📜 Antebellum America 🗳️ Capitalism And Democracy ⚖️ Political Economy 🔨 Labor History

The 9.9 Percent

by Matthew Stewart • 2021

The one percent took the wealth. The class beneath them supplied the alibis.

3.67

413

🏦 Wealth Inequality 🇺🇸 American Class System 🎭 Meritocracy Critique 🏛️ Elite Complicity 🏘️ Housing Segregation

The 9.9 Percent 89%

The one percent took the wealth. The class beneath them supplied the alibis.

by Matthew Stewart 2021

3.67

413 ratings

🏦 Wealth Inequality 🇺🇸 American Class System 🎭 Meritocracy Critique 🏛️ Elite Complicity 🏘️ Housing Segregation

The Deadline

by Jill Lepore • 2023

The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.

4.31

621

🏛️ Cultural History 📚 Essay Collections 📰 Media Criticism 🇺🇸 American Democracy ⚖️ Constitutional Law

The Deadline 89%

The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.

by Jill Lepore 2023

4.31

621 ratings

🏛️ Cultural History 📚 Essay Collections 📰 Media Criticism 🇺🇸 American Democracy ⚖️ Constitutional Law

WASPS

by Michael Knox Beran • 2021

The WASPs had everything except wholeness. Their long pursuit of it built America, then broke them.

3.46

126

🏛️ American Aristocracy 💰 Old Money 🎩 Gilded Age 📊 Social Class 📉 Cultural Decline

WASPS 89%

The WASPs had everything except wholeness. Their long pursuit of it built America, then broke them.

by Michael Knox Beran 2021

3.46

126 ratings

🏛️ American Aristocracy 💰 Old Money 🎩 Gilded Age 📊 Social Class 📉 Cultural Decline

Suicide of a Superpower

by Patrick J. Buchanan • 2011

America didn't fall; it jumped. The ideas shredding it are its own choices, not enemy blows.

4.05

844

📉 American Decline 🏛️ Paleoconservatism 🏭 Economic Nationalism 🌍 Imperial Overreach ⛪ Secularization Thesis

Suicide of a Superpower 89%

America didn't fall; it jumped. The ideas shredding it are its own choices, not enemy blows.

by Patrick J. Buchanan 2011

4.05

844 ratings

📉 American Decline 🏛️ Paleoconservatism 🏭 Economic Nationalism 🌍 Imperial Overreach ⛪ Secularization Thesis

Class War?

by Benjamin I. Page • 2009

Americans aren't fighting a class war. They agree on taxing the rich and expanding the safety net.

3.53

💸 Economic Inequality 🏛️ American Politics 📊 Public Opinion ⚖️ Political Inequality 💵 Money In Politics

Class War? 89%

Americans aren't fighting a class war. They agree on taxing the rich and expanding the safety net.

by Benjamin I. Page 2009

3.53

45 ratings

💸 Economic Inequality 🏛️ American Politics 📊 Public Opinion ⚖️ Political Inequality 💵 Money In Politics

Kids These Days

by Malcolm Harris • 2017

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

3.77

2k+

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis 🔧 Precarious Labor 🏛️ Neoliberal Critique

Kids These Days 89%

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

by Malcolm Harris 2017

3.77

2k+ ratings

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis 🔧 Precarious Labor 🏛️ Neoliberal Critique

Spying on the South

by Tony Horwitz • 2019

America's red-blue fault line was forged in the 1850s South. Retracing Olmsted's journey proves it.

4.00

5k+

🚙 American Travelogues ⛓️ Antebellum South ⚡ Political Polarization 🏞️ Democratic Public Space ⚖️ Systemic Inequality

Spying on the South 89%

America's red-blue fault line was forged in the 1850s South. Retracing Olmsted's journey proves it.

by Tony Horwitz 2019

4.00

5k+ ratings

🚙 American Travelogues ⛓️ Antebellum South ⚡ Political Polarization 🏞️ Democratic Public Space ⚖️ Systemic Inequality

These United States

by Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore • 2015

For fifty years, equality won. Then inequality struck back. A century of America's unfinished fight.

3.75

111

🇺🇸 Modern American History 💰 Economic Inequality ⚒️ Labor History ✊🏾 Civil Rights Movement 🌐 American Foreign Policy

These United States 89%

For fifty years, equality won. Then inequality struck back. A century of America's unfinished fight.

by Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore 2015

3.75

111 ratings

🇺🇸 Modern American History 💰 Economic Inequality ⚒️ Labor History ✊🏾 Civil Rights Movement 🌐 American Foreign Policy

Democracy and Solidarity

by James Davison Hunter • 2024

The American experiment was built on a fragile fusion of reason and faith. That fusion has run out.

4.32

122

🏛️ American Politics 📜 Political Theory ⚔️ Culture Wars ⛪ Secularization 😤 Grievance Politics

Democracy and Solidarity 89%

The American experiment was built on a fragile fusion of reason and faith. That fusion has run out.

by James Davison Hunter 2024

4.32

122 ratings

🏛️ American Politics 📜 Political Theory ⚔️ Culture Wars ⛪ Secularization 😤 Grievance Politics

The Dying Citizen

by Victor Davis Hanson • 2021

The four forces dismantling American citizenship are one crisis, each speeding the others.

4.35

2k+

🗽 American Citizenship 🏴 National Identity 📉 Middle Class Decline 🏢 Bureaucratic State 🎭 Identity Politics Critique

The Dying Citizen 89%

The four forces dismantling American citizenship are one crisis, each speeding the others.

by Victor Davis Hanson 2021

4.35

2k+ ratings

🗽 American Citizenship 🏴 National Identity 📉 Middle Class Decline 🏢 Bureaucratic State 🎭 Identity Politics Critique

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