Synopses & Reviews
An illuminating history of North America's eleven rival cultural regions that explodes the red state-blue state myth.
North America was settled by people with distinct religious, political, and ethnographic characteristics, creating regional cultures that have been at odds with one another ever since. Subsequent immigrants didn't confront or assimilate into an American or Canadian culture, but rather into one of the eleven distinct regional ones that spread over the continent each staking out mutually exclusive territory.
In American Nations, Colin Woodard leads us on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, and the rivalries and alliances between its component nations, which conform to neither state nor international boundaries. He illustrates and explains why American values vary sharply from one region to another. Woodard reveals how intranational differences have played a pivotal role at every point in the continent's history, from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the tumultuous sixties and the blue county/red county maps of recent presidential elections. American Nations is a revolutionary and revelatory take on America's myriad identities and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and are molding our future.
Review
"and#91;Aand#93; well-researched and well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn perseverance."andnbsp;andmdash;USA
Today
"A beautifully considered historyand#8230;Woodardandrsquo;s admiration for lobster culture is stirringand#8230;and#91;Mainersandrsquo;and#93; feisty pluck remains undiminished in the face of obstacles." andmdash;Newsday
Delves deeply and reflectively into the history of the coast of Maine and its people." andmdash;The Boston Globe
"and#91;Aand#93; well-researched and well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn perseverance." andmdash;USA Today
"Woodard doesnandrsquo;t disguise his pique. Maine is worth fighting for-as is any village with distinctly etched local character and community." andmdash;The Christian Science Monitor
"A triumph." andmdash;Bookpage
"Lively." andmdash;The Economist
"Lucidand#8230;engaging." andmdash;Publishers Weekly
"Thought-provokingand#8230;Woodard is a talented writer, a skilled journalistand#8230;.lively reading for history buffsand#8230;an important book for any Maine loverandrsquo;s bookshelf." andmdash;Bangor Daily News
"A feastand#8230;Woodard uses the lobster to tell the whole history of Maine." andmdash;Working Waterfront
"Highly engaging, intelligent." andmdash;Down East
Review
andldquo;Provocative.andrdquo;
Review
“American Nations by journalist-historian Colin Woodard is a superb book. Woodard makes a compelling argument that the United Sates was founded by contradictory regional convictions that continue to influence current attitudes and policy on a national level.…American Nations smashes the idea of political borders.…There is much to grapple with in this well-written book.” The Portland Press Herald
Review
“[American Nations] sets itself apart by delving deep into history to trace our current divides to ethno-cultural differences that emerged during the country’s earliest settlement.” The New Republic, Editors' Picks: Best Books of 2011
Review
“Fascinating…Engrossing…In the end…[American Nations] is a smart read that feels particularly timely now, when so many would claim a mythically unified ‘founding Fathers’ as their political ancestors.” The Boston Globe
Review
“In
American Nations, [Colin Woodard] persuasively reshapes our understanding of how the American political entity came to be….[A] fascinating new take on history.”
The Christian Science Monitor
Review
“Woodard offers a fascinating way to parse American (writ large) politics and history in this excellent book.” Kirkus (starred review)
Review
“Colin Woodard debunks the simplistic notion of Left Coast, red state, blues state and other broad-brush efforts to peg America’s differences.…American Nations pulls off the unlikely feat of both offering the tools for just such a broader, deeper understanding—and demonstrates why, in a larger sense, that effort is doomed.…The key to the book’s effectiveness is Woodard’s skill—and irreverence—in delving into history with no qualms about being both brisk and contrarian.…[I]n offering us a way to better understand the forces at play in the rumpus room of current American politics, Colin Woodard has scored a true triumph. I am going to order copies for my father and sister immediately—and I hope Woodard gets a wide hearing for his fascinating study.” The Daily Beast
Review
“[W]ell-researched analysis with appeal to both casual and scholarly readers.” Library Journal
Review
“Colin Woodard offers up an illuminating history of North America that explodes the red state-blue state myth.…Woodard’s American Nations is a revolutionary and revelatory take on America’s myriad identities, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our country’s past and mold its future.” MaineBusiness.com
Review
“[F]or people interested in American history and sociology, American Nations demands reading.…American Nations is important reading.” St. Louis Dispatch
Review
“[C]ompelling and informative.” The Washington Post
Review
Review
Winner of the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction “Mr. Woodard’s approach is breezier than Mr. Fischer’s and more historical than Mr. Garreau’s, but he has earned a place on the shelf between them." The Wall Street Journal
Review
“Provocative reading.” News and Observer
Review
“Provocative.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“[I]f you want to better understand U.S. politics, history, and culture American Nations is to be required reading.…By revealing this continent of rivals, American Nations will revolutionize the way Americans think about their past, their country, and themselves and is sure to spark controversy.” The Herald Gazette
Review
andldquo;Mr. Woodardandrsquo;s approach is breezier than Mr. Fischerandrsquo;s and more historical than Mr. Garreauandrsquo;s, but he has earned a place on the shelf between them.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Provocative reading.andrdquo;
Review
“[A] fascinating new ethnographic history of North America.”
Alec MacGillis, The New Republic
Synopsis
ANew RepublicBest Book of the Year The GlobalistTop Books of the Year Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction
An endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and the eleven nations that continue to shape North America
According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of presidential elections."
Synopsis
ANew RepublicBest Book of the Year The GlobalistTop Books of the Year Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction
Particularly relevant in understanding who voted for who in this presidential election year, this is an endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and the eleven nations that continue to shape North America
According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of this year's Trump versus Clinton presidential election."
Synopsis
For more than four hundred years the people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept lands, resisting outsidersandrsquo; attempts to control them while harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Todayandrsquo;s independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern seaboard.
In the tradition of William Warnerandrsquo;s Beautiful Swimmers, veteran journalist Colin Woodard traces the history of the rugged fishing communities that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions, and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people andldquo;from away,andrdquo; Maineandrsquo;s lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of America while defying the andldquo;tragedy of the commonsandrdquo;andmdash;the notion that people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and hard-won wisdom.
Synopsis
An endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and the eleven "nations" that continue to shape North America According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of presidential elections.
About the Author
Colin Woodard is a Maine native and the author of Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas. He is a regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor and the San Francisco Chronicle.