Myth America
Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past
Basic Books · Print & ebook · December 5, 2023
In this instant New York Times bestseller, America’s top historians set the record straight on the most pernicious myths about our nation’s past “Outstanding… Wonderfully accessible.” —Washington Post The United States is in the grip of a crisis of bad history.
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- Who it’s for
- Takes on familiar American legends with a lively, accessible historian’s cadence.
- Genres
- Historiography, 20th-Century America, Political Commentary
- Published
- Basic Books, December 5, 2023
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In this instant New York Times bestseller, America’s top historians set the record straight on the most pernicious myths about our nation’s past “Outstanding… Wonderfully accessible.” —Washington Post The United States is in the grip of a crisis of bad history. Distortions of the past promoted in the conservative media have led large numbers of Americans to believe in fictions over facts, making constructive dialogue impossible and imperiling our democracy.
Continue reading
In Myth America, Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer have assembled an all-star team of fellow historians to push back against this misinformation. The contributors debunk narratives that portray the New Deal and Great Society as failures, immigrants as hostile invaders, and feminists as anti-family warriors—among numerous other partisan lies. Based on a firm foundation of historical scholarship, their findings revitalize our understanding of American history. Replacing myths with research and reality, Myth America is essential reading amid today’s heated debates about our nation’s past. With Essays By Akhil Reed Amar • Kathleen Belew • Carol Anderson • Kevin M. Kruse • Erika Lee • Daniel Immerwahr • Elizabeth Hinton • Naomi Oreskes • Erik M. Conway • Ari Kelman • Geraldo Cadava • David A. Bell • Joshua Zeitz • Sarah Churchwell • Michael Kazin • Karen L. Cox • Eric Rauchway • Glenda Gilmore • Natalia Mehlman Petrzela • Lawrence B. Glickman • Julian E. Zelizer
Why this clicks
Come here for
- Big-history arguments, briskly handled
- A clear-eyed read that still moves
Expect
- Civil-rights context and broader American mythmaking
- Insight with enough momentum to keep pages turning
Where it sits
| Historiography | 39% |
|---|---|
| 20th-Century America | 35% |
| Political Commentary | 18% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Revolutionary America (1775-1800)
- 19th-Century America
- 20th-Century America
- 21st-Century America
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Civics
- Authors
- Kevin M. Kruse, Julian E. Zelizer, Akhil Reed Amar
- Publisher
- Basic Books
- Published
- December 5, 2023
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Revolutionary America (1775-1800)