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Dreaming Up America
With America ever under global scrutiny, Russell Banks contemplates the questions of our origins, values, heroes, conflicts, and contradictions. He writes with conversational ease and emotional insight, drawing on contemporary politics, literature, film, and his knowledge of American history.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Russell Banks
103 books1,011 followersRussell Banks was a member of the International Parliament of Writers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards. He has written fiction, and more recently, non-fiction, with Dreaming up America. His main works include the novels Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. The latter two novels were each made into feature films in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 27, 2009
This book is basically a transcription of interviews Russell Banks did for a French documentary. It reads as such and I was a little disappointed by that. I wanted to see many of the ideas fleshed out and better explained and supported. It was like reading the beginning of many interesting thoughts. I found the last chapter the most compelling, when he explores further the idea of American nationalism and how it is a dangerous philosophy. A fascinating subject that I would have loved to hear more about. This might actually be a good book for a book club--it bears discussion.
On a side note--it has one of my favorite book covers I've seen this year. Lovely.
On a side note--it has one of my favorite book covers I've seen this year. Lovely.
August 27, 2021
This is a thought provoking little book. It was written in 2008 but is still current. I enjoyed it and think it would be a good book club discussion book.
May 15, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this book and it read super easily. Maybe that’s because it was originally a person talking for a documentary, so it read like someone talking almost. A short read too. There were some fascinating tidbit about American history but also on the ideology that America was set up on.
One thing to pick on is just how it flowed. It seemed like each chapter was all over the place and it wasn’t super cohesive. Like there would be a few paragraphs on one topic and switch to another immediately in the same chapter, and that pattern repeated for most of the chapters. I wish those sections or pieces would have been more fleshed out in particular and had dedicated chapters for each time period/chronology.
I really enjoyed this book and it read super easily. Maybe that’s because it was originally a person talking for a documentary, so it read like someone talking almost. A short read too. There were some fascinating tidbit about American history but also on the ideology that America was set up on.
One thing to pick on is just how it flowed. It seemed like each chapter was all over the place and it wasn’t super cohesive. Like there would be a few paragraphs on one topic and switch to another immediately in the same chapter, and that pattern repeated for most of the chapters. I wish those sections or pieces would have been more fleshed out in particular and had dedicated chapters for each time period/chronology.
December 24, 2020
An interesting little book! While small in size, Banks has packed in a lot of theory and ideas to ponder for many days ahead. I'm intrigued by the main threads of American self-identity which the author points out as running from the beginning of America up until this very day. In particular, he notes three main undergirding streams of identity which have shaped American thoughts and actions throughout its history:
1. The seekers of wealth and riches - whether in the form of the Spanish down in Florida, or the Dutch in the New York area.
2. The seekers of religious or political freedom - folks in pursuit of lofty ideas, political and religious.
3. And, seekers of a new beginning - Ponce de Leon's search for the fountain of youth could head up this category, in a sense - but ultimately, folks looking for a fresh start, a new beginning.
Banks goes on to illustrate how these three merging streams of purpose, within in the bounds of a national identity, create a sort of mythology and an American psyche out of which flows predictable patterns of actions throughout U.S. history. He offers an honest, open reckoning of the pros and cons of each of these purposes for starting and continuing this project called the United States of America. He notes that at times, one of these purposes becomes more central and drives us forward as a collective nation.
Plenty of food for thought, whether or not you agree with every premise he offers up.
1. The seekers of wealth and riches - whether in the form of the Spanish down in Florida, or the Dutch in the New York area.
2. The seekers of religious or political freedom - folks in pursuit of lofty ideas, political and religious.
3. And, seekers of a new beginning - Ponce de Leon's search for the fountain of youth could head up this category, in a sense - but ultimately, folks looking for a fresh start, a new beginning.
Banks goes on to illustrate how these three merging streams of purpose, within in the bounds of a national identity, create a sort of mythology and an American psyche out of which flows predictable patterns of actions throughout U.S. history. He offers an honest, open reckoning of the pros and cons of each of these purposes for starting and continuing this project called the United States of America. He notes that at times, one of these purposes becomes more central and drives us forward as a collective nation.
Plenty of food for thought, whether or not you agree with every premise he offers up.
June 23, 2008
I've read a few Banks novels and enjoyed them, but who knew he had such amazing and broad understanding of the American pschye through history? He touches on the origins of the nation, immigrants, nationalism, economic issues, wars, and so much more. In many places, he uses examples from classic film and literature to reflect on American attitudes and ideals.
Adapted from interviews for a French film on American history, the text flows easily and reads quickly. The text is not diminished by its casual style; in fact, Banks' ideas are all the more accessible. I found myself wanting to re-read it right away in order to soak in the ideas a little more. This is not an academic book -- it is totally undocumented -- but the arguments presented inspire me to revisit American history and think about it again.
Adapted from interviews for a French film on American history, the text flows easily and reads quickly. The text is not diminished by its casual style; in fact, Banks' ideas are all the more accessible. I found myself wanting to re-read it right away in order to soak in the ideas a little more. This is not an academic book -- it is totally undocumented -- but the arguments presented inspire me to revisit American history and think about it again.
August 6, 2018
this was written when George W was president. I'd love to see a 2nd edition, with another chapter in light of the current/Trump administration!
July 13, 2023
America began as an invention, as a merging, as a merged people. Americans are essentially a Creole nation, a mixture, and they have been that way since their conception.
A very strong sense of national identity.
If you are going to convince Americans and to march off to war, you’ve got to make them feel they’re threatened with imminent invasion, or if there is a belief that the American economy is under threat.
When people come to the US they are coming to a place where the mythology of starting over is so powerful as to be, para-doxically, the very essence of what it means to be American. Throughout most of American history this has been the draw. You didn't just come here to make money to send home until you yourself could return. America was not simply a place to find employment; it was a place to start your life over. It goes back to that very early version of the American Dream that we were trying to describe.
Central to the original American Dream is the idea of starting over.
So the first generation basically sacrifices itself for the benefit of the second, and the second generation in turn sacrifices itself for the benefit of the third. All done willingly, because the belief in progress goes very deep, the belief that the sacrifice will reap a bountiful reward, a willingness to give up one's life that I don't think is as deeply imbedded in the European imagination. And you still see it today. You see wave after wave of people from Mexico and the Caribbean, from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, who are willing to work very hard for a lifetime at menial jobs in order that their children can get an education so that they don't have to do menial work, they can become lawyers and doctors and professional people, so that the third generation can go to university and study the fine arts, the humanities, philosophy, and so forth.
THE FIRST American immigrants, not counting the colonists, came over unwillingly: they were the enslaved Africans, who didn't come here out of any volition of their own. But they were still, after all, immi-grants. And they were the first to arrive in large numbers from more or less the same region of the world, which happened to be West Africa, rather than Europe, so we have to count them and must remember that when we talk about waves of immigrants the Africans were the first.
A very strong sense of national identity.
If you are going to convince Americans and to march off to war, you’ve got to make them feel they’re threatened with imminent invasion, or if there is a belief that the American economy is under threat.
When people come to the US they are coming to a place where the mythology of starting over is so powerful as to be, para-doxically, the very essence of what it means to be American. Throughout most of American history this has been the draw. You didn't just come here to make money to send home until you yourself could return. America was not simply a place to find employment; it was a place to start your life over. It goes back to that very early version of the American Dream that we were trying to describe.
Central to the original American Dream is the idea of starting over.
So the first generation basically sacrifices itself for the benefit of the second, and the second generation in turn sacrifices itself for the benefit of the third. All done willingly, because the belief in progress goes very deep, the belief that the sacrifice will reap a bountiful reward, a willingness to give up one's life that I don't think is as deeply imbedded in the European imagination. And you still see it today. You see wave after wave of people from Mexico and the Caribbean, from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, who are willing to work very hard for a lifetime at menial jobs in order that their children can get an education so that they don't have to do menial work, they can become lawyers and doctors and professional people, so that the third generation can go to university and study the fine arts, the humanities, philosophy, and so forth.
THE FIRST American immigrants, not counting the colonists, came over unwillingly: they were the enslaved Africans, who didn't come here out of any volition of their own. But they were still, after all, immi-grants. And they were the first to arrive in large numbers from more or less the same region of the world, which happened to be West Africa, rather than Europe, so we have to count them and must remember that when we talk about waves of immigrants the Africans were the first.
October 21, 2019
"We're seeing something different taking place now, something altogether new on this planet--a fascist plutocracy presiding over a world population of disenfranchised and distracted consumers and would-be consumers."
This book is a thin little volume basically consisting of transcripted monologues from the brain of Russell Banks, a novelist whose work I have long enjoyed and admired. This was published almost a decade before the ascendancy of Donald Trump, and what Banks says about the presidency, viewed in that light, is chilling: "we choose presidents, but we do not choose them on the basis of their experience or even their political views. We choose them based on how well they tap into our basic beliefs, how expressive they are of our own deepest national mythologies." What we want from our leader in chief, whom Banks warns really does come close to being an emperor, is to be a distorting mirror that reflects on us the image we want to see and believe in. There are a few enduring such images that Banks discusses in this sprightly little book, not the least of which is the belief that the United States can, if push comes to shove, retrench within its own borders, isolate from the rest of the world, and solve whatever problems it has. The palpable falseness of this myth, belied by the plain fact of America's imperial posture and standing in the world, does not seem to have any bearing on its popularity, but such is the power of myth.
This book is a thin little volume basically consisting of transcripted monologues from the brain of Russell Banks, a novelist whose work I have long enjoyed and admired. This was published almost a decade before the ascendancy of Donald Trump, and what Banks says about the presidency, viewed in that light, is chilling: "we choose presidents, but we do not choose them on the basis of their experience or even their political views. We choose them based on how well they tap into our basic beliefs, how expressive they are of our own deepest national mythologies." What we want from our leader in chief, whom Banks warns really does come close to being an emperor, is to be a distorting mirror that reflects on us the image we want to see and believe in. There are a few enduring such images that Banks discusses in this sprightly little book, not the least of which is the belief that the United States can, if push comes to shove, retrench within its own borders, isolate from the rest of the world, and solve whatever problems it has. The palpable falseness of this myth, belied by the plain fact of America's imperial posture and standing in the world, does not seem to have any bearing on its popularity, but such is the power of myth.
September 16, 2025
Some random musings about the origin and development of attitudes in the United States. This is a manuscript generated by a project for a French film maker who wanted to compare the view that French citizens have of Americans to the perspectives of a couple American authors, including Banks.
September 16, 2020
Concise and very good reflection on the dualistic character of America and its inhabitants, from one of our most thoughtful living novelists.
September 17, 2024
This is a companion text to a film project. It is interesting, but feel like I missed out on a larger picture.
November 22, 2015
overall a good read, but unfortunately too many topics in such a short work to have any real depth of argument on the specific points. An excellent broad view of the America psyche, nonetheless. A few gems: Banks acknowledges that there is truth in saying the Civil War was over states rights....but it WAS the right to own slaves...if it was over taxation, or militia, or the right to set aside public lands, etc no one would have gone to war over it...thus the conflict of race was at the heart of the civil war and remains at the heart of our country's history.
Banks also argues that our bend towards war and violence as a nation is a consequence of "the American split between perception of self and reality. The killer is someone who would rather take a life than have to resolve that self-perception and reality". Given that Banks wrote this in 2008, I am curious how he would relate this to the rise of the militarized policing of minorities today.
One argument that remains a constant throughout the book is the danger of the rise of nationalism...."To make your national identity....a part of your essential sense of yourself is as destructive as any hallucinogen. When it's mass hallucination, it's really dangerous."
Banks also argues that our bend towards war and violence as a nation is a consequence of "the American split between perception of self and reality. The killer is someone who would rather take a life than have to resolve that self-perception and reality". Given that Banks wrote this in 2008, I am curious how he would relate this to the rise of the militarized policing of minorities today.
One argument that remains a constant throughout the book is the danger of the rise of nationalism...."To make your national identity....a part of your essential sense of yourself is as destructive as any hallucinogen. When it's mass hallucination, it's really dangerous."
January 2, 2016
Interesting take on American history, by a novelist. The book doesn't cover American history per se, but focuses more on a few of the big mythologies that make up the "American Dream" that have driven America history: the City of a Hill (religious), El Dorado, the City of Gold (materialistic, wealth accumulation), and the Fountain of Youth (you are not bound by your past but can start life anew at any time). These dreams nourished the early settlers and subsequent subsequent immigrants from Europe as they moved across the continent from East to West. They also drove many of the central tendencies on American history and the American personality: violence, nationalism, materialism, hyper-race consciousness. Many interesting insights, and a very interesting way to shed light on the main themes running throughout American history.
October 14, 2008
This is an odd little book that is something of an oral history of the United States told from a leftist's perspective, which is fine if, like me, you're a leftist. I knew of Banks's views when I bought the book, so it's orientation was no surprise. And I enjoyed it very much, agreeing with it virtually every step of the way. Whether it really should be a book that someone charges $21.95 for is another question, though. I think it would have made a fantastic magazine article in, say, The Nation.
August 17, 2008
The musings of Russell Banks. Very insightful. He considers where America came from - those who were looking for political or religious freedom and those who were looking for riches. He goes on to show where that has led them. How it manifested itself in the Declaration of Independence and the constitution and how the American Dream has led to conflicting ideas of isolationism and imperialism.
Very thought-provoking
Very thought-provoking
September 16, 2014
Concise & Accurate Perceptions of America
Banks, who through much of his great American fiction (Cloudsplitter, Rule of the Bone, even Affliction), wrestles with the angels of the American soul, provides invaluable insight into who we & where we are while giving glimpses into his art as well. The only problem is I wanted more.
Banks, who through much of his great American fiction (Cloudsplitter, Rule of the Bone, even Affliction), wrestles with the angels of the American soul, provides invaluable insight into who we & where we are while giving glimpses into his art as well. The only problem is I wanted more.
July 2, 2008
This is basically a book where the author kind of rambles on, which normally I wouldn't care for, but Banks is so eloquent and his insights really held my interest. He didn't use $100 words and his sentences weren't run-ons. It was very pleasant to read.
August 28, 2008
Russell Banks should be embarrassed. This was so general and on such a low level, I can't imagine listening to it even as a film commentary, which is what it originally was. I've categorized it under "read" not because I've read it but because I've given up.
October 9, 2008
Amazing and brave.
October 25, 2008
Not a bad, quick 110 page or so read. This is actually just a transcription from an interview he did about movies.
January 12, 2009
This was an interesting book of Russell Banks's view of American history.
April 5, 2010
"We (the U.S.) would do well to recognize that we haven't yet finished making ourselves, and that we can still take mindful control of that process." Russell Banks. Excellent read!
June 16, 2010
reading a lot of books about american identity. there are some great quotes in here....
July 9, 2010
No biggie, but a nice, quick little "3rd of July" read.
September 7, 2010
A perceptive, provocative take on U.S. history and national identity by a non-historian.
October 23, 2015
A few interesting ideas with a lot of basic liberal thoughts on American imperialism that can be heard at any coffee shop.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews