Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
What does it take to be a good American? And who gets to decide? Journalist Jess McHugh examines the thirteen books that defined a nation to tell this fascinating and untold history of the United States. A surprising history of thirteen of the nation's most popular reference titles--books that hundreds of millions of Americans have bought and dogeared over the centuries--Americanon explores the strange personalities and social upheaval that led production of our common language, customs, and culture. Far from innocuous texts, our dictionaries, spellers, almanacs, and how-to manuals have shaped our world in profound and unappreciated ways. Spanning the full range of our 245-year history--that sold tens of millions of copies and set out specific archetypes for the ideal American, from the self-made entrepreneur to the humble farmer.
Reference books are meant to convey facts without ulterior motive. But these books were forged in the crucible of their authors' personal tragedies, secret hopes, vanity, bigotry, and burning desires for their country. Their stories--which have become "our" stories--are a reflection of the idiosyncratic, sometimes visionary, and sometimes manipulative people who wrote them. And their understanding of what "American" meant was as much about defining who it was as who it was not.
You'll note in this collection a striking absence of nonwhite authors, women authors, and LGBTQ authors. Throughout our national history, our bestselling "authoritative" reference texts have been written primarily by white men, most often from evangelical communities. Across the chapters of the book, I'll explore how these authors have encoded and reinforced nationalism, patriarchy, and other power structures within their texts--and confirmation bias has in turn pushed readers to snap up their "truths" by the millions. Americanon is as much about what is left out and repressed by these books as what is in them.
Their beliefs and quirks became the values and habits of millions of Americans, woven into our cultural DNA over generations of reading and rereading. And yet their motivations and influence--ranging from commercial gain to nationalist fervor to a desire for social control--remain unexamined. Until now.
Synopsis
The true, fascinating, and remarkable history of thirteen books that defined a nation.
Surprising and delightfully engrossing,
Americanon explores the true history of thirteen of the nation's most popular books. Overlooked for centuries, our simple dictionaries, spellers, almanacs, and how-to manuals are the unexamined touchstones for American cultures and customs. These books sold tens of millions of copies and set out specific archetypes for the ideal American, from the self-made entrepreneur to the humble farmer.
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Webster's Dictionary, Emily Post's Etiquette Americanon looks at how these ubiquitous books have updated and reemphasized potent American ideals--about meritocracy, patriotism, or individualism--at crucial moments in history. Old favorites like the Old Farmer's Almanac and Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book are seen in this new way--not just as popular books but as foundational texts that shaped our understanding of the American story.
Taken together, these books help us understand how their authors, most of them part of a powerful minority, attempted to construct meaning for the majority. Their beliefs and quirks--as well as personal interests, prejudices, and often strange personalities--informed the values and habits of millions of Americans, woven into our cultural DNA over generations of reading and dog-earing. Yet their influence remains uninvestigated. Until now.
What better way to understand a people than to look at the books they consumed most, the ones they returned to repeatedly, with questions about everything from spelling to social mobility to sex? This fresh and engaging book is American history as you've never encountered it before.
Synopsis
"An elegant, meticulously-researched and eminently readable history of the books that define us as Americans. For history buffs and book-lovers alike, McHugh offers us a precious gift."
--Jake Halpern, Pulitzer Prize Winner and New York Times Bestselling author
"With her usual eye for detail and knack for smart storytelling, Jess McHugh takes a savvy and sensitive look at the 'secret origins' of the books that made and defined us.... You won't want to miss a one moment of it."--Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss and the New York Times Bestselling Jim Henson
The true, fascinating, and remarkable history of thirteen books that defined a nation.
Surprising and delightfully engrossing, Americanon explores the true history of thirteen of the nation's most popular books. Overlooked for centuries, our simple dictionaries, spellers, almanacs, and how-to manuals are the unexamined touchstones for American cultures and customs. These books sold tens of millions of copies and set out specific archetypes for the ideal American, from the self-made entrepreneur to the humble farmer.
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Webster's Dictionary, Emily Post's Etiquette Americanon looks at how these ubiquitous books have updated and reemphasized potent American ideals--about meritocracy, patriotism, or individualism--at crucial moments in history. Old favorites like the Old Farmer's Almanac and Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book are seen in this new way--not just as popular books but as foundational texts that shaped our understanding of the American story.
Taken together, these books help us understand how their authors, most of them part of a powerful minority, attempted to construct meaning for the majority. Their beliefs and quirks--as well as personal interests, prejudices, and often strange personalities--informed the values and habits of millions of Americans, woven into our cultural DNA over generations of reading and dog-earing. Yet their influence remains uninvestigated. Until now.
What better way to understand a people than to look at the books they consumed most, the ones they returned to repeatedly, with questions about everything from spelling to social mobility to sex? This fresh and engaging book is American history as you've never encountered it before.