I have not started The Soul of America, but I may put others aside so that I can.
You should read The Soul of America if you find yourself overwhelmed by the “partisan fury” of modern news and want a dose of evidence-based hope. Jon Meacham uses his expertise as a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer to show that while our current tensions feel unprecedented, America has actually survived much darker “hours of fear” before. It is a “calm in the storm” book—perfect for anyone who wants to understand how the “better angels of our nature” have historically triumphed over our worst impulses.
- Jon Meacham
- Political Science
- Rich
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In The Soul of America, Jon Meacham looks back at critical turning points in U.S. history to reassure readers that the current climate of division is not a new phenomenon. He examines moments when the nation was nearly torn apart—the Civil War and its aftermath, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, the anti-immigrant sentiment of the World Wars, and the red-baiting demagoguery of Joe McCarthy.
Through portraits of presidents like Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, FDR, and LBJ, as well as brave activists like Alice Paul and Martin Luther King Jr., Meacham argues that the “soul” of the country is an ongoing battle. He concludes that while progress is often “two steps forward and one step back,” the American story is ultimately defined by a slow, painful, but persistent movement toward justice and decency.
⭐ Reviews
The New York Times Book Review:“Meacham is an adroit and appealing storyteller… he writes history for a broad readership. The Soul of America is a declaration of faith in the country’s core values.”
USA Today:
“A thoroughly researched and smoothly written roundup of some of the worst parts of American history and how they were gradually overcome… a reason to believe the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring.”