One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation
by Will, George F
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- New in fine dust jacket.
- ISBN 10
- 0307407861
- ISBN 13
- 9780307407863
- Seller
-
Derwood, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
In his provocative and compelling new book, America's most widely read and most influential commentator casts his gimlet eye on our singular nation. Moving far beyond the strict confines of politics, George F. Will offers a fascinating look at the people, stories, and events--often unheralded--that make the American drama so endlessly entertaining and instructive. With Will's signature erudition and wry wit always on display, One Man's America chronicles a spectacular, eclectic procession of figures who have shaped our cultural landscape--from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., from Victorian poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from cotton picker-- turned--country singer Buck Owens to actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan. Will crisscrosses the country to illuminate what it is that makes America distinctive. He visits the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor and ponders its enduring links to the present. He travels to Milwaukee to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of an iconic brand, Harley-Davidson. In Los Angeles he finds the inspiring future of education, while in New York he confronts the dispiriting didacticism of the avant-garde. He ventures to the Civil War battlefields of Virginia to explore what we risk when we efface our own history. And on the outskirts of Chicago he investigates one of the darkest chapters in American history, only to discover a shining example of resilience and grace--the best the country has to offer. Will's wide lens takes in much more as well--everything from the "most emblematic novel of the 1930s" (and no, it is not about the Joads) to the cult of ESPN to Brooks Brothers and Ben & Jerry's. And of course, One Man's America would not be complete without the author's insights on the national pastime, baseball--the icons and the cheats, the hapless and the greats. Finally, in a personal and reflective turn, Will writes movingly of his thirty-five-year-old son Jon, born with Down syndrome, and pays loving and poignant tribute to his mother, who died at the age of ninety-eight after a long struggle with dementia. The essays in One Man's America, even when critiquing American culture, reflect Will's deep affection and regard for our nation. After all, he notes, when America falls short, it does so only as compared to "the uniquely high standards it has set for itself." In the end, this brilliantly informative and entertaining book reminds us of the enduring value of "the simple virtues and decencies that can make communities flourish and that have made America great and exemplary."From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- 2Vbooks (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- Alibris.0006435
- Title
- One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation
- Author
- Will, George F
- Format/Binding
- Hard cover
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0307407861
- ISBN 13
- 9780307407863
- Publisher
- Crown Forum
- Place of Publication
- Westminster, Maryland, U.s.a.
- Date Published
- 2008
- Keywords
- Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 384 p. Audience: General/trade.
Terms of Sale
2Vbooks
Please contact me if you are not happy with your order. Please post positive feedback if you are.
About the Seller
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...