The Sum of Our Dreams, Louis P. Masur
The Sum of Our Dreams, Louis P. Masur
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The Sum of Our Dreams
A Concise History of America

Author: Louis P. Masur

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 16 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/03/2020


Synopsis

In The Sum of Our Dreams, Louis P. Masur offers a sweeping yet compact history of America from its beginnings to the current moment. Evoking Barack Obama's belief that America remains the "sum of its dreams," Masur locates the origin of those dreams—of freedom, equality, and opportunity—and traces their progress chronologically, illuminating the nation's struggle over time to articulate and fulfill their promise. Moving from the Colonial Era, to the Revolutionary Period, the Early Republic, and through the Civil War, Masur turns his attention to Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Progressive Age, World War One, the Great Depression, World War Two, the Cold War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, and Watergate, and then lays out clearly and concisely what underlies the divisiveness that has characterized American civic life over the last forty years—and now more than ever. Above all, however, Masur lets the story of American tell itself. Inspired by James Baldwin's observation that "American history is longer, larger, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it," he expands our notion of that history while identifying its individual threads. The Sum of Our Dreams will be the new go-to single volume for anyone wanting a foundational understanding of the nation's past, and its present.

About Louis P. Masur

Louis P. Masur is Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books, including The Civil War: A Concise History, The Soiling of Old Glory, and Lincoln's Last Speech. His essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Slate, and he lectures around the country for One Day University.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Graeme

Read as an audio book from OCC library system. Excellent book giving a really good history of the US. Very interesting. I probably knew quite a bit of this but it was good to hear it completely chronologically. Even worth another read in the future. Well read by the voice, Jonathan Yen, great intonati......more

Goodreads review by Vicki

Very selective U.S. history which the author tries to unify with the theme of the American dream. Too much political detail for me.......more

Goodreads review by Axel

Great synopsis of American history. Makes you understand their way of thinking and acting.......more