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What Is America

A Short History of the New World Order

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What Is America

By: Ronald Wright
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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About this listen

 Following his international best seller, A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright provokes once again, as he explores the oldest American myth: the endless frontier. In the years since 9/11, many of the archetypes and ideals with which we've traditionally framed the American enterprise now seem endangered, even hollow. This raises the question, has America ever been what it thinks it is? What Is America? goes to the heart of that inquiry.

Ranging with dazzling expertise through anthropology, history, and literature, Wright reconfigures our self-perception, arguing that the "essence" of America can be traced to the foundations of our history - literally to the collision of worlds that began in 1492, as one civilization subsumed another--and exploring how these currents continue to shape our world.

©2008 Ronald Wright (P)2009 Audible, Inc. Americas United States World Wild West Old West Mormon Imperialism Mythology American History Capitalism Africa Mexico Socialism

Critic reviews

"[Few] will have likely heard so charming an analysis of American depredations...An entertaining, highly tendentious account of where we've been and where we're headed." (Kirkus Reviews)
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