Eight Myths about the United States:
Truths Beneath the Mythology
Links to Purchase the e-Book
Eight Myths about the United States:
Truths Beneath the Mythology
Links to Purchase the e-Book
Many things have been said about the United States. Some of them are true.
There is also an extensive mythology about the US—a collection of interpretations, selective memories, half-truths, and some outright lies. That mythology has positive and negative effects. In this book, I identity eight major myths that are part of the story of America, drawing back the curtain to find the truths beneath the mythology.
It is said that the US is a nation of great promise, and this is true. But the promise of the US’s ideals can only be fulfilled if and when we sweep aside the mythology and hold up the truth. This book identifies and dissects eight prominent myths long told about the US. To build a better society, we need sincere communities of engaged people to discuss who we are, how we got to where we are today, and what future we want. The histories in this book will hopefully spark such discussions.
Eight Myths about the United States is a great companion to Getting Beyond Trump.
Whether you love or hate the US — and probably all of us are somewhere between those extremes — we do ourselves and the world a favor by being honest about the US and its history. Being honest about the US requires us to deconstruct the mythology that some people created and that some people still believe. What are the stories that are told about the US and why have they been told in the way they are? What do people believe about the US and what does the US mean to them?
Some people will say my questioning and critique go too far. Others will say I don’t go far enough. Regardless, we need more questioning and open discussion about what the US has been, what it has turned into, and what all of it means.
The first step in that deconstruction is acknowledging that there is indeed a mythology — a mythic America that obscures its realities. A mythology, a story, was invented about the US. Construction of that story of America began before the nation’s creation.