<![CDATA[One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation]]>

false <![CDATA[One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1212770112m/2360433.jpg 2360433 1 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.” 2367200 3 6 2008 One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation total:14|5:3|4:8|3:1|2:2|1:0| 14 54 49 3 4 0 false false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 28 18:10:01 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 25 09:27:40 -0700 2009 It's a bit of an anthology of Mr Will's opinion pieces and it helped me understand a bit more about history and politics.

Some may want to skip the last chapter dealing with baseball and why Mr Will enjoys the sport, but I've al...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Sep 24 09:45:10 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 06 03:46:59 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Sun Jan 04 21:05:59 -0800 2009 Wed Jun 25 17:50:10 -0700 2008 Sun Jan 04 21:05:59 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 23 09:39:15 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 09:39:15 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 05:26:22 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 05:26:46 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jun 19 02:37:16 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 02:37:16 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jun 17 17:59:20 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 17:59:20 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Apr 26 18:28:04 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 18:28:04 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Apr 04 00:17:44 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 00:17:55 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Apr 02 22:38:36 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 22:39:57 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Mar 28 09:54:45 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 09:54:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Mar 19 05:35:44 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 05:35:44 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 11:25:27 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 11:25:27 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Feb 11 12:13:18 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 12:13:30 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 28 08:41:24 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 09:06:43 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 28 06:56:43 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 06:56:43 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 27 12:27:35 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 12:27:35 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 21 16:01:48 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 16:03:04 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 07 08:20:21 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 08:20:21 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Dec 16 15:50:39 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 15:50:39 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2360433