Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920 (American History)
As he does in all of his acclaimed writings, Lears culls numerous sources to give a compelling, humane portrait of a cultural epoch. Rather than rehashing familiar tales, he brings acute judgment to the motivations of well-known figures like J. P. Morgan and William Jennings Bryan, while using their individual stories to illustrate the larger milieu. TheLos Angeles TimessawRebirth of a Nationas building directly upon Lears's previous books on antimodernism and advertising, in an ever-deepening examination of American culture. In fact, most critics appreciated that the author draws firm parallels between the time period in question and our own. There are a few nitpicks -- a fact-checking error here; a head-scratch about the relevance of an anecdote there -- but the reviews are resoundingly positive, and even a touch awestruck, at Lears's accomplishment.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.