Reviews
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard
randomly's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
A sweeping view of US (and some Canadian) history that indulges in more than a few stereotypes. (All Yankees are puritan busybodies, no Southerners value education, every Westerner is obsessed with federal subsidies, etc.). Still, it's interesting to read about the "personalities" of the different North American cultures and trace the connections from colonial times to current events.
rick2's review
4.0
It’s good, very thought-provoking as an alternative way to categorize different sections of America.
I think it’s clear there are deep-seated regional differences from the different areas and I think the map is probably one of the best ways to describe them.
I do think this is a book that you sit with for a while. I’m interested to see how it holds up over the next year or so as I try to use it to understand this information in the wild during, say, the elections this fall. Where I have a bit of an issue with the book is that I think this very neatly and succinctly describes the past history of America, i’m not sure how well it works in our current hyper connected present and future.
Quite frankly this is such a novel categorization for me that I’m bit slow to just accept it at face value. It does seem to have a lot more utility than calling things the “north and south” in living basically at the intersection of three of these different cultures as it’s drawn up today. I’m curious to try to explore and test this idea against kind of a real world series of experiences. My gut is telling me that this breaks down at some point across the 1960s and the advent of national television, currently I think there’s a bigger rift between rural and urban then there are in these pseudo regional descriptors, but I do think there are some very clear differences in regional mindsets.
It’s a lot to think on and I’m overall fairly impressed with the quality of the book.
I think it’s clear there are deep-seated regional differences from the different areas and I think the map is probably one of the best ways to describe them.
I do think this is a book that you sit with for a while. I’m interested to see how it holds up over the next year or so as I try to use it to understand this information in the wild during, say, the elections this fall. Where I have a bit of an issue with the book is that I think this very neatly and succinctly describes the past history of America, i’m not sure how well it works in our current hyper connected present and future.
Quite frankly this is such a novel categorization for me that I’m bit slow to just accept it at face value. It does seem to have a lot more utility than calling things the “north and south” in living basically at the intersection of three of these different cultures as it’s drawn up today. I’m curious to try to explore and test this idea against kind of a real world series of experiences. My gut is telling me that this breaks down at some point across the 1960s and the advent of national television, currently I think there’s a bigger rift between rural and urban then there are in these pseudo regional descriptors, but I do think there are some very clear differences in regional mindsets.
It’s a lot to think on and I’m overall fairly impressed with the quality of the book.
dixiet's review
5.0
This book should be read by every American, especially now. It tells the true story - not the simplified and fudged version we heard in school - of how America was founded, not by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock but first from the south, and then in many waves from Europe. Each group had its own reasons for coming to America and its own agenda. After the union was formed and immigrants from other countries arrived, like gravitated to like and in the end the regional differences - the "nations" - become stronger, not diluted. We are seeing the impact of the different "nations" in politics to this day. The reader learns where settlement started and how it progressed, and why there are so many strong divisions and differences of opinions about how our country should be run. For example, yes, everyone came to America to be "free", but for some that meant freedom to have strong communities with everyone working together; for some it meant individual freedom FROM such communities; for some it meant freedom from overlords; for some it meant freedom to BE overlords. It's very illuminating to realize that even the issues on which it appears all Americans agree, such as the wish for "freedom," are themselves sources of dispute and dissent.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to better understand America.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to better understand America.
moody_gobling's review
3.0
I am genuinely confused as to why this book has not been listed among the required OR the recommended reading in any educational setting I have been in so far.
The book is very informative and insightful, and can *sometimes* draw you in with its narrative. For the most part, I am not an avid nonfiction reader, and I would never have picked up this book out of my own volition. As evidenced by how long it took me to finish.
That being said, I appreciate having read as much of it as I did. I wholeheartedly agree with the proposal that the United States is nothing more than a few different nations under one giant trench coat, attempting to buy an adult ticket to the world stage.
The book is very informative and insightful, and can *sometimes* draw you in with its narrative. For the most part, I am not an avid nonfiction reader, and I would never have picked up this book out of my own volition. As evidenced by how long it took me to finish.
That being said, I appreciate having read as much of it as I did. I wholeheartedly agree with the proposal that the United States is nothing more than a few different nations under one giant trench coat, attempting to buy an adult ticket to the world stage.
emdowd's review
3.0
Very interesting take on North American history from European settlement to (mostly) present day. The author has a hugely obvious anti-South bias (which was distasteful even to this Left Coast hippie socialist). All histories have some imprint of their authors but this was almost distracting, and the reason I can't rate it higher. At least try to contain your bias!