Imagining a Great Republic: Political Novels and the Idea of America

by Thomas E. Cronin

In the first comprehensive reading of dozens of American literary and social culture classics, Tom Cronin, one of America's most astute students of the American political tradition, tells the story of the American political experiment through the eyes of forty major novelists, from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Hunter S. Thompson. They have been moral and civic consciousness-raisers as we have navigated the zigs and zags, the successes and setbacks, and the slow awkward evolution of the American political experiment.

Constitutional democracy, equal justice for all, the American Dream, and American Exceptionalism are all part of our country's narrative. But, as Imagining a Great Republic explains, there has never been just a single American narrative--we have competing stories, just as we have competing American Dreams and competing ways of imagining a more perfect political union. Recognizing and understanding these competing values is a key part of being American. Cronin's book explains how this is possible and why we should all be proud to be American.--John Nichols, writer and novelist "CHOICE"

468 pages, ebook

Published November 10, 2017

About the author

President Emeritus Whitman College

Reviews

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be a very expensive book. Thomas Cronin has collected forty-two novels focusing on the science of politics, giving us detailed reviews and short biographies of the authors. I had read nine of the books but, after reading Cronin's book, I would like to read more, not all of them available in the libraries in my area.
Before continuing with my review I want to share a link that was helpful in my enjoyment of the book. It is an interview of the author by Brian Lamb on C-Span around the time of the book's publication. The link is www.c-span.org/video/?441486. This may be an incomplete link but I think you can probably find the interview, which is about an hour long.
It took me over a month to read the 415 page text. I found the content illuminating and intriguing but it was also, for me, slow reading. I had to read in times and places where there would be no distractions, not always an easy task.
As an aside, I would love to have a conversation with Cronin on political novels, extending the discussion to the Bible. What Cronin repeatedly affirmed in his book is something I have proclaimed publicly for years: the spiritual (or political) truths illustrated in biblical (or secular) texts are not dependent upon the historical or factual truths of those texts.
My rating below is a combination of the factors above, focusing more on the text. For those politically minded readers it is a book well worth reading. For readers like myself who prefer nonfiction books, it certainly opens our minds to the revelations novels can reveal. Thus, I start high.

Four stars waning

[Perf · Rating 5 out of 5]

"America is an experiment ... and experiments can fail."

good interview with author on CSPAN by Brian Lamb,

https://www.c-span.org/video/?441486-...

[Nathanael Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important in its position as a study of the American political novel and fairly impressive in its scope. Unfortunately, it often devolves into little more than plot summaries told in stilted prose.

[Naama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting exploration of some of the most important American political novels, good analysis.

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just wasn’t the book I expected it to be. Suppose it’s not fair to give it one star, but the points raised by the author aren’t enough to outweigh the myriad synopses of books.