These Truths : A History of the United States by Jill Lepore (2018, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherNorton & Company, Incorporated, w. w.
ISBN-100393635244
ISBN-139780393635249
eBay Product ID (ePID)242703897

Product Key Features

Book TitleThese Truths : a History of the United States
Number of Pages960 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicCivil Rights, American Government / General, United States / General
Publication Year2018
IllustratorYes
GenrePolitical Science, History
AuthorJill Lepore
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.2 in
Item Weight46.1 Oz
Item Length1 in
Item Width0.6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2018-019180
Dewey Edition23
ReviewsWith this epic work of grand chronological sweep, brilliantly illuminating the idea of truth in the history of our republic, Lepore reaffirms her place as one of one of the truly great historians of our time., Lepore's brilliant book, These Truths, rings as clear as a church bell, the lucid, welcome yield of clear thinking and a capable, curious mind., [B]rilliant...insightful...It isn't until you start reading it that you realize how much we need a book like this one at this particular moment., This sweeping, sobering account of the American past is a story not of relentless progress but of conflict and contradiction, with crosscurrents of reason and faith, black and white, immigrant and native, industry and agriculture rippling through a narrative that is far from completion., A splendid rendering--filled with triumph, tragedy, and hope--that will please Lepore's readers immensely and win her many new ones., It's an audacious undertaking to write a readable history of America, and Jill Lepore is more than up to the task. But These Truths is also an astute exploration of the ways in which the country is living up to its potential, and where it is not., Who can write a comprehensive yet lucid history of the sprawling United States in a single volume? Only Jill Lepore has the verve, wit, range, and insights to pull off this daring and provocative book. Interweaving many lively biographies, These Truths illuminates the origins of the passions and causes, which still inspire and divide Americans in an age that needs all the truth we can find., This thought-provoking and fascinating book stands to become the definitive one-volume U.S. history for a new generation., [Lepore's] one-volume history is elegant, readable, sobering; it extends a steadying hand when a breakneck news cycle lurches from one event to another, confounding minds and churning stomachs., "Lepore brings a scholar's comprehensive rigor and a poet's lyrical precision to this singular single-volume history of the United States. Understanding America's past, as she demonstrates, has always been a central American project. She knows that the "story of America" is as plural and mutable as the nation itself, and the result is a work of prismatic richness, one that rewards not just reading but rereading. This will be an instant classic.", In this inspiring and enlightening book, Jill Lepore accomplishes the grand task of telling us what we need to know about our past in order to be good citizens today. Avoiding political and ideological agendas, she confronts the contradictions that come from being born a land of both liberty and slavery, but she uses such conflicts to find meaning--and hope--in the tale of America's progress., Without ignoring the horrors of conquest, slavery, or recurring prejudices, Lepore manages nonetheless to capture the epic quality of the American past., Monumental...a crucial work for presenting a fresh and clear-sighted narrative of the entire story...exciting and page-turningly fascinating, in one of those rare history books that can be read with pleasure for its sheer narrative energy., An ambitious and provocative attempt to interpret American history as an effort to fulfill and maintain certain fundamental principles...Lepore is a historian with wide popular appeal, and this comprehensive work will answer readers' questions about who we are as a nation., Astounding...[Lepore] has assembled evidence of an America that was better than some thought, worse than almost anyone imagined, and weirder than most serious history books ever convey., In this time of disillusionment with American politics, Jill Lepore's beautifully written book should be essential reading for everyone who cares about the country's future. Her history of the United States reminds us of the dilemmas that have plagued the country and the institutional strengths that have allowed us to survive as a republic for over two centuries. At a minimum, her book should be required reading for every federal officeholder., Gutsy, lyrical, and expressive...[These Truths] is a perceptive and necessary contribution to understanding the American condition of late....It captures the fullness of the past, where hope rises out of despair, renewal out of destruction, and forward momentum out of setbacks., Jill Lepore is an extraordinarily gifted writer, and These Truths is nothing short of a masterpiece of American history. By engaging with our country's painful past (and present) in an intellectually honest way, she has created a book that truly does encapsulate the American story in all its pain and all its triumph., No one has written with more passion and brilliance about how a flawed and combustible America kept itself tethered to the transcendent ideals on which it was founded., 'An old-fashioned civics book,' Harvard historian and New Yorker contributor Jill Lepore calls it, a glint in her eye. This fat, ludicrously ambitious one-volume history is a lot more than that. In its spirit of inquiry, in its eager iconoclasms, These Truths enacts the founding ideals of the country it describes., Lepore knows that the 'story of America' is as plural and mutable as the nation itself, and the result is a work of prismatic richness, one that rewards not just reading but rereading. This will be an instant classic., In this inspiring and enlightening book, Jill Lepore accomplishes the grand task of telling us what we need to know about our past in order to be good citizens today., Anyone interested in the future of the Republic must read this book. One of our greatest historians succeeds, where so many have failed, to make sense of the whole canvas of our history. Without ignoring the horrors of conquest, slavery or recurring prejudices, she manages nonetheless to capture the epic quality of the American past. With passion, compassion, wit, and remarkable insight, Lepore brings it all to life, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. This is a manifesto for our necessarily shared future.
Dewey Decimal973
SynopsisWritten in elegiac prose, Lepore's groundbreaking investigation places truth itself-a devotion to facts, proof, and evidence-at the center of the nation's history. The American experiment rests on three ideas-"these truths," Jefferson called them-political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. And it rests, too, on a fearless dedication to inquiry, Lepore argues, because self-government depends on it. But has the nation, and democracy itself, delivered on that promise? These Truths tells this uniquely American story, beginning in 1492, asking whether the course of events over more than five centuries has proven the nation's truths, or belied them. To answer that question, Lepore traces the intertwined histories of American politics, law, journalism, and technology, from the colonial town meeting to the nineteenth-century party machine, from talk radio to twenty-first-century Internet polls, from Magna Carta to the Patriot Act, from the printing press to Facebook News. Along the way, Lepore's sovereign chronicle is filled with arresting sketches of both well-known and lesser-known Americans, from a parade of presidents and a rogues' gallery of political mischief makers to the intrepid leaders of protest movements, including Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist orator; William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate and ultimately tragic populist; Pauli Murray, the visionary civil rights strategist; and Phyllis Schlafly, the uncredited architect of modern conservatism. Americans are descended from slaves and slave owners, from conquerors and the conquered, from immigrants and from people who have fought to end immigration. "A nation born in contradiction will fight forever over the meaning of its history," Lepore writes, but engaging in that struggle by studying the past is part of the work of citizenship. "The past is an inheritance, a gift and a burden," These Truths observes. "It can't be shirked. There's nothing for it but to get to know it.", New York Times Bestseller In the most ambitious one-volume American history in decades, award-winning historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation, an urgently needed reckoning with the beauty and tragedy of American history., Written in elegiac prose, Lepore's groundbreaking investigation places truth itself--a devotion to facts, proof, and evidence--at the center of the nation's history. The American experiment rests on three ideas--"these truths," Jefferson called them--political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. And it rests, too, on a fearless dedication to inquiry, Lepore argues, because self-government depends on it. But has the nation, and democracy itself, delivered on that promise? These Truths tells this uniquely American story, beginning in 1492, asking whether the course of events over more than five centuries has proven the nation's truths, or belied them. To answer that question, Lepore traces the intertwined histories of American politics, law, journalism, and technology, from the colonial town meeting to the nineteenth-century party machine, from talk radio to twenty-first-century Internet polls, from Magna Carta to the Patriot Act, from the printing press to Facebook News. Along the way, Lepore's sovereign chronicle is filled with arresting sketches of both well-known and lesser-known Americans, from a parade of presidents and a rogues' gallery of political mischief makers to the intrepid leaders of protest movements, including Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist orator; William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate and ultimately tragic populist; Pauli Murray, the visionary civil rights strategist; and Phyllis Schlafly, the uncredited architect of modern conservatism. Americans are descended from slaves and slave owners, from conquerors and the conquered, from immigrants and from people who have fought to end immigration. "A nation born in contradiction will fight forever over the meaning of its history," Lepore writes, but engaging in that struggle by studying the past is part of the work of citizenship. "The past is an inheritance, a gift and a burden," These Truths observes. "It can't be shirked. There's nothing for it but to get to know it."
LC Classification NumberE178.L57 2018

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  • Top favorable review

    Excellent history and civics text

    This is one of the best purchases I have made on eBay. I asked someone on Threads to recommend a good civics book, and this was their recommendation. America needs a more alert electorate, and I intend to be part of the solution, not the problem. This is a thick book, so I haven't made it very far into the text, but it is outstanding.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Top critical review

    PDF is fine

    Unfortunately I did not read the product description carefully enough and so I thought I was getting the print book. I did eventually find the email and was able to open the pdf. So I received what I purchased. But, I wanted the print book. So I am not really satisfied.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Easy download, excellent book.

    The download to my Kindle Voyager was quite easy. The book itself is an excellent history, written by a professional historian but in a very accessible style. I recommend it.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Outstanding. Best resource for every age and educational level.

    Best comprehensive, one volume history of the USA. Instead of a linear approach to our history, it uses the more stimulating and complete web approach used in American Studies. Useful for interested readers of all ages and educational backgrounds. Jill Lepore is an outstanding historian and writer. Bravo! I gave "These Truths" to my grandson for his 14th birthday, he loves it!

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Great book.

    I found this to be both informative and entertaining. The author not only knows her material but she has a way with words. Her writing is beautiful.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • These Truths

    An excellent comprehensive and contemporary account of the historical 'happenings' that have brought our nation to its current state.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Falling back in love with history

    She deals honestly with the big themes invisible to nit-picking "microscope historians." What a fun writer Lepore is! I keep it at my breakfast table to get daily perspective challenges and to giggle at her page-turning brain entertainment.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • These Truths: A History of the United States

    Excellent social history of the USA correlating history with the cultural events of the years covered.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Electronic book. Not a hard cover.

    I believed I was ordering a hard cover book, not an electronic copy.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Great work of history

    Well written,an underlying theme throughout.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New