American Dreams by: H.W. Brands

When Brands writes about America, he does so generally speaking which allows his book not to the historical admirer but the reader who wants to see what our American past reveals in a very vague fashion.  When Brands speaks of our American Dreams, he does so in a very happy state much like the interesting cover-the typical American family, admiring all that is good in what our flag represents.  The Dreams brands writes of seems to be just a validation that American History has actually not just been a nightmare, though some may disagree.  Brands leaves little for the reader to conspire about or develop judgements, his writing seems to be more of a summary than an account of a national celebration.  Brands may need to write another book in a few years and I’m expecting a chapter on Sarah Palin. I kid! Yet I was happy to see the mention of feminism (pg. 177). Brands’ book makes an excellent textbook for those who slept through history classes in the 1980’s and woke during CNN’s broadcasting of the current Egytptian political state.