Dreaming Up America

by Russell Banks

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781583228388
Publisher:	Seven Stories Press
Publication date:	06/03/2008
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

RUSSELL BANKS is the author of sixteen works of fiction, many of which depict seismic events in US history, such as the fictionalized journey of John Brown in Cloudsplitter. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes, and two of his novels—The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction—have been made into award-winning films. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, founding president of Cities of Refuge North America, and former New York State Author, Banks lives in upstate New York.

Date of Birth:

March 28, 1940

Place of Birth:

Newton, Massachusetts

Editorial Reviews

Two years ago, novelist Banks was interviewed by French television for a documentary about American history. His testimony so impressed Banks's French publisher that he made a book out of his remarks, translated into French, co-released with the documentary. Now Banks's words have returned stateside. Unfortunately, they do not travel well. Letting a gifted storyteller like Banks have a go at telling the story of America isn't a bad idea—his voice is appealing, and the brevity and scope of his tale are bracing. As condensed histories go, this is a good one. Banks creates a clear and simple dynamic, identifying three original dreams—for profit, for religious freedom, for eternal youth—that have struggled within our body politic throughout our history. His text, however, betrays a dogmatic agenda—left of center, antiwar and self-righteous—undermining the simplicity that might otherwise be a virtue. Fuzzy generalizations like "Americans have always believed in the almost spiritual beauty of machinery" give way to harsh indictments of presidents Wilson, Reagan and the Bushes, as the charming historical survey turns shrill ("Rockefeller didn't believe in the American dream, but everyone who worked for him did"). Banks is eloquent here, but in a sense perhaps unintended, he's dreaming. (June)

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Publishers Weekly

Best-selling novelist Banks's (Cloudsplitter; The Sweet Hereafter ) first work of nonfiction was developed from a television interview with a French documentary producer two years ago, which was translated into French and is now available in English in the United States. Originally directed to a French audience to describe the history of the American people, the content is nonetheless enlightening to Americans, too. The book presents, essentially, an interdisciplinary overview of America from Colonial times to the present and America's development out of spiritual, ethical, and materialistic impulses. Banks's narrative is not always flattering, as he dissects our national myths and exposes the realities, but it may nudge readers to take an introspective look at themselves and our nation. The book is also not comprehensive, but it is a condensed and holistic construct of American history, eloquently written and highly readable. Banks ends with an implicit warning about our nationalism, which he describes as a destructive force, a fervor and mass hallucination, that can control our thinking. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Mark Alan Williams, Library of Congress

Library Journal

Russell Banks is not only one of our great novelists but also a courageous and visionary citizen who understands the centrality of race and the magnanimity of democracy. His first nonfiction book is a gem!” –Cornel West


“Russell Banks as a novelist has always dared to illuminate the larger issues of human interaction in a society that too often dishonors human rights. Here he gives us a thoughtful and provocative meditation on our history, with a chilling look at what happened to the American dream.” –Howard Zinn


“Russell Banks understands the narratives we invent as Americans to explain ourselves to ourselves. He plummets to the depths of the American soul, holds it up for view and offers in his insights the possibility for atonement.” –Chris Hedges

From the Publisher