Scan barcode
rsinclair6536's review against another edition
5.0
Shapiro lets us know that over a century ago novelist Willa Cather insisted: “Shakespeare belongs to two nations now.” She was referring to America’s continuing fascination with his works, and Shapiro demonstrates that north and south, left and right, rich and poor, old and young have found his plays to be a source of inspiration and agitation from colonial times to today. This is more an anecdotal history of American theater than an analysis of text, and I found it very entertaining. Shakespeare’s plays have been a source of riots, demonstrations, conspiracies, Hollywood manipulation, and presidential shape shifting as the ideas in them highlight our differences. It's all told here in fabulous detail. Sometimes Shapiro is a little over the top with claims about his subject’s significance, but one should expect theatrics here.
rusty_greer's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those excellent books that you're never quite sure what it is really about.
Politics? Yes.
Literature? Yes.
History? Yes.
Culture, patriotism, religion, ideals, fanaticism, war, peace, immigration, emigration... Yes.
In short, this is a book that explores how we in the United States explore our own dreams... and our delusions.
Politics? Yes.
Literature? Yes.
History? Yes.
Culture, patriotism, religion, ideals, fanaticism, war, peace, immigration, emigration... Yes.
In short, this is a book that explores how we in the United States explore our own dreams... and our delusions.
buddy524's review against another edition
4.0
This book was pretty engaging. The structure worked well. At times it was more strict history and the ending seemed to meander away from Shakespeare a bit compared to the beginning. However, the book does a good job of highlighting history through a different lens.
fayebean's review against another edition
3.0
i like the conceit and thought it was an interesting book but... Shakespeare's works are overly magnified and so some of the anxieties that spring up in our culture and intersect with the performance of his plays have a lot to do with the outsized role he plays in our English language and literature classes at the expense of other authors, playwrights and cultures. This may not have been the book to wrestle with that but there is implication that Shakespeare speaks to all people at all times and has something profound to say to us about our past and future and I am not sure that that is the case. I though it was interesting but a little shallow for such a well reviewed book.
da_bos's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting collection of vignettes. Engagingly written. Not exactly a sweeping history of Shakespeare in America, though it doesn’t claim to be once you move past the title. Definitely got a little less focused on its original purpose the closer Shapiro gets to the present; the final chapter is definitely more political reportage than cultural criticism. Overall: enjoyable but not great.
kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating. Thought-provoking. Helps to have good knowledge of Shakespeare's works.