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The American Future: A History (2008)

by Simon Schama(Favorite Author)

3.72 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1847920004 (ISBN13: 9781847920003)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Bodley Head

review 1: The American Future is a piece of popular history written on the eve of the 2008 presidential election, which Barack Obama would go on to win. The book makes no predictions whatsoever about the American future. Rather, it uses as a starting point Obama's campaign rhetoric which made references to the American past. Schama then jumps back and forth between the election rhetoric and the history it references. His unstated thesis seems to be that American history is uniquely future-oriented, self-conscious in its role as shaping history-- a social experiment still, which must continue in such public dialogue in order to carry on this rich tradition. Schama seems excited to see this type of public dialogue revived in the 2008 election at a level not previously carried out in ... morerecent memory.He gives a sweeping account of historical moments through lesser known characters and events, from Lincoln's Gettysburg address, noting its importance to a nation in the midst of a Civil War, imagining the possibility of fracturing; to the national debate, spanning decades and continuing even today, over whether America should follow a liberal or a restrictive immigration policy; to the Founding Fathers' decision to create separation of church and state and the Puritanical current which continues to move in our society and to demand an end to that separation. Throughout, Schama focuses on moments of decision wrought of an actively engaged populous over issues that consciously would shape the American future. He hints that the 2008 election is such a moment in American history as well, though he does not quite pinpoint why. Every indication would be that it's because our new president consciously tapped into that history when campaigning and would logically, if elected, continue that tradition.The book is an enthusiastic piece and an easy read, and interesting to pick up some five years after the election in question.
review 2: Simon Schama's book is a really interesting one to read. It has such strength in its message, such lucidity in the examples, and such a formidable intellectual background that it promises to be a very fulfilling book.Schama is very well versed in American history and has done his research meticulously. He takes the reader across the vast landscape of Americanism and conclusively shows how that concept is one based on eternal discovery, eternal progress, and the American ideal of finding your happiness through hard-earned wealth. The dark side of this, then, is the at points ruthless behavior against those who were there first, or who did something before. The Native Americans are a case in point.He is also wonderfully clear in his thinking and how he presents the unbroken arch of American thinking from the Founding Fathers to Barack Obama. This he achieves through the careful selection of men (and women) of action who have played a crucial, but many times forgotten, role in the history of the country. I was especially enthralled by his delivery of the tale of the military family Meigs, starting from the aptly named Return Jonathan Meigs and finishing it with the current General.Such tales, told through one individual, but illuminating a vast landscape of people and events, are the absolute best part of this book. His talent for tying together ideals, ideas, and actions of people that at first seem to have nothing to do with each other is also considerable. You as the reader stand to benefit much from all these details, laid out in good order and in a very comprehensive manner.Now the bad news, and why this is not a 5 star book.Schama gets so carried away by his experiences and ideas that his prose sometimes gallops off into the rich pasture of Latin words. This, and the tendency of using sub-clauses and sub-sub-clauses, causes the prose to become hard to read. In my edition's back cover, Ferguson in Financial Times compares Schama's prose to Kerouac. A fair comparison, but one that also makes for passages that have to be read many times. I used a dictionary more times with this book than with any other in years.But to sum this up, if you are interested in why America is what it is, read this book, and have the dictionary handy. less

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