Overview

2000 Booker longlisted novelist Banks pinpoints and characterises the origins of the US's often-conflicted national identity in his compelling first work of non-fiction. Dreaming Up America disarms with its charm, its erudition and the simplicity of its approach. With his novelistic gifts on display, Banks tells the story of a great nation still being born today. Beginning as an extensive interview with a French documentary filmmaker about America's history, Dreaming Up America evolved to consider all facets of US culture and people.

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9781583228913

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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

“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

Author Information

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.

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