Overview
A poignant photographic tour of honor, sacrifice, and memory within America's national cemeteries. In America’s National Cemeteries, Timothy B. Spears takes the reader on a grand tour of these singular places of commemoration, the final resting place for more than four million American military personnel who died either in wartime, during their time of service, or after their honorable discharge. His absorbing account—part historical narrative and part travelogue—is enhanced by 180 of his remarkable photographs, which capture the spirit, beauty, and solemn remembrance to be found in each of the 156 national cemeteries across America. Spears details the history of the cemeteries since their establishment during the American Civil War and explores their ongoing evolution and importance to American society and the commitment America has made to honoring its military dead. With headstones neatly arrayed in rows and each soldier typically buried in an identical fashion, the cemeteries symbolize an enduring connection between human mortality and national identity. They also reflect the nation’s persistent challenges with inequalities and injustice, violence and racism, lingering questions about “good” versus “bad” wars, and the vexed legacies of America’s military forays. In this unique meditation on American history, memory, and place, Spears embraces the impact of the past on the present, offering an original perspective on the meaning of military service, mortality, and remembrance and how these national cemeteries have evolved into truly iconic and emblematic American spaces. The book also features a foreword by Roderick Gainer, Chief Curator of Arlington National Cemetery since 2013.
Full Product Details
Author: Timothy B Spears ,
Roderick Gainer
Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
Imprint: The University of Alabama Press
Weight: 0.454kg
ISBN: 9780817322403
ISBN 10: 081732240
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
""Spears is very successful in tying together a wide range of complex themes. The book has a strong story line—his quest to visit all the national cemeteries. With this journey serving as his narrative arc, Spears takes time to pause along his route to develop one or more subplots in each of the ten chapters."" —Kenneth E. Foote, author of Shadowed Ground: America's Landscapes of Violence and Tragedy
Author Information
Timothy B. Spears is college professor emeritus at Middlebury College. He is author of Spirals: A Family’s Education in Football; Chicago Dreaming: Midwesterners and the City, 1871–1919; and 100 Years on the Road: The Traveling Salesman in American Culture.
