American Nations

By Colin Woodard,

Book cover of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

Book description

* A New Republic Best Book of the Year * The Globalist Top Books of the Year * Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction *

Particularly relevant in understanding who voted for who in this presidential election year, this is an endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked American Nations as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It totally realigned my understanding of the regional differences and distinctives in the US today. It helps explain so much of what is going on today. This is a must-read for anyone interested in US history, politics and culture.

Some of our state lines were cultural borders. The Colony of Massachusetts was founded by and for Puritans; Maryland was created for Catholics; Pennsylvania for Quakers. That process continued after the Revolution, regardless of state (or later-to-become state) lines. Colin Woodard’s book explores the founding of such cultural regions and reveals how those not-on-the-map lines influence our differing views to this day.

From Mark's list on boundaries.

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