#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. ONE OF OPRAH’S “BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH” • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Christian Science Monitor • Southern Living Our current climate of … Southern Living
Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature” have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women’s rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson’s crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life have been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear—a struggle that continues even now.
While the American story has not always—or even often—been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, “The good news is that we have come through such darkness before”—as, time and again, Lincoln’s better angels have found a way to prevail.
Praise for The Soul of America
“Brilliant, fascinating, timely . . . With compelling narratives of past eras of strife and disenchantment, Meacham offers wisdom for our own time.”—Walter Isaacson
“Gripping and inspiring, The Soul of America is Jon Meacham’s declaration of his faith in America.”—Newsday
“Meacham gives readers a long-term perspective on American history and a reason to believe the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring, not rancor and paranoia.”—USA Today
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Mr Meacham is my favorite historian. An inspiring read!
This is a brilliant, fascinating, timely, and above all profoundly important book. Jon Meacham explores the extremism and racism that have infected our politics, and he draws enlightening lessons from the knowledge that we’ve faced such trials before. We have come through times of fear. We have triumphed over our dark impulses. With compelling narratives of past eras of strife and disenchantment, Meacham offers wisdom for our own time and helps us appreciate the American soul: the heart, the core, and the essence of what it means to have faith in our nation.
Should be required reading for all members of Congress!!!
John Meacham writes with such skill and interest that this book becomes an inspiration as well as being very readable.
I almost always have one nonfiction book on the go that I read exclusively before bed. I’m primarily a fiction reader so I don’t usually fall into the “one more chapter” trap that keeps me awake way past my bedtime if I follow this plan. This was not a great book for that. It’s intelligently written, presented, and argued, but the brain power I had left at the end of the day wasn’t quite up to absorbing everything Mr. Meacham had to say. Under those circumstances, the book had almost the exact opposite effect that it intended: I was depressed that we’re still fighting so many of the same battles that we’ve been fighting for so long. Equality of all kinds–why is that still so difficult for us?
After struggling through about 25% of the book, I finally put down my fiction books and focused on this one exclusively, no matter the time of day. Reading it while I was actually awake and functioning put me in a much better frame of mind to both follow the argument presented and to see it as the hope the author intended it to be. Yes, we do keep addressing many issues over and over again, but if you step back and look at the big picture, we’re tacking in the right direction. It’s a wobbly course, but we’re getting there.
I enjoyed the last half of the book so much (I think the actual text stopped at 43% and the rest was the bibliography, etc.), that I’m tempted to go back and start over. I recommend this for thoughtful readers who need some hope in today’s political climate.
Exceptionally detailed and informative
The book’s bottom line is that America has faced numerous critical points in it’s existence. In all of these situations wars, depressions etc, the Country came together and came out stronger for it. The split today in our Country is only different in details; but unless we find common ground then we risk our future.
Jon Meacham is the voice of reason blending lessons from history with lessons from today to enlighten us all.
A strong approach to understanding our current situation in this country
Meacham reminds us that hope trumps (sic) fear at the heart of the American ideal, and he cites examples from our past history that proved the strength of the ideals that inspired the creation of our democratic republic and how those ideals inspired Americans to surmount their fears and refuse to surrender the hopeful fulfillment of the promise inherent in the Declaration of Independence.
John Meacham is a wonderful historian, and this book is inspirational for those who feel the country is spiraling down ward.
The writing is engaging; the historical context is enlightening; and the message inspires hope at a time when it is hard to come by.
Jon Meachem is an historian and he tells the story of the US through our history of political turmoil…He brings hope to the reader that we have overcome problems and division in the past and we have the wherewithal to overcome our current situation..
A much needed discussion about how our nation has endured trying times in our history.
Meacham draws fine picture of America today, with characters, quotations, and U.S. history. I like his writing style as well as the content.
The message of hope over fear was shown in different times in American history and President Obama’s speech in the last 5 pages reminded me in turbulent times we cannot lose our vision for a more enlightened humane society which elevates all and that is when our country flourishes in times of adversity
Compelling analysis of other periods in American history where we have been faced with significant crisis. Meacham describes the kinds of leaders that arose to battle those problems – Lincoln and the Civil War, FDR and the Depression, Truman and discrimination. In these challenging times, he provides some hope that we will again rise to the occasion and produce leaders who can overcome all the evils in the current administration. Plus he has an abiding faith in the values on which this country was founded and in the ability of Americans to return to those values in times of trouble.
Excellent history of US with emphasis on the role of the President as the standard for moral responsibility. Difficult read with divisive current occupant of the Whote House.
Great book by a great historian. Covers the country’s successes including dysfunctions and how we survived.
Jon Meacham is one of my favorite authors, and now in our troubled times as a nation, he gives us the path to right the wrongs we see today. He reminds us that we will survive this. If you like American history, this is a must read.