From the bestselling author of A Short History of Progress, a surprising, stimulating and essential analysis of our troubled age.
The American way has Americanised the globe. The United States is an empire whose deeds could make or break this century. But why are its great achievements—in democracy, prosperity, and civil rights—often at risk from sinister forces within?
The United States regards itself as the most advanced country on earth, but Wright reveals how it is also deeply archaic, a stronghold of religious extremism, militarism and the delusion of endless growth.
Brimming with insight into history and human behaviour, What Is America? is a passionate look at the world’s most influential and contradictory nation.
Praise for What Is America?:
‘Ronald Wright is an historical philosopher with a profound understanding of other cultures.’
— Jan Morris
