Poet, novelist and literary critic Parini (The Last Station
) examines the books he believes represent the soul of the American republic. Some of these books are masterpieces, others icons of a moment in American history. Throughout, Parini makes his case while wearing his learning lightly. All of these works, from William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation
to Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique
, had a profound impact on America's complex identity. The evolving American dynamic is noted in the way the subjects cluster: the American experiment (The Federalist Papers
); exploration of a continent (The Journals of Lewis and Clark
); a new connection with nature and self (Walden
); issues of race and urban ethnicity (Uncle Tom's Cabin
and The Souls of Black Folk
, among others); business and its opposite, the counterculture (How to Win Friends and Influence People
and On the Road
). A terrific chapter explores Dr. Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
(“Spock said no to no”). A listing of 100 additional books with seismic impact rounds out this engaging discussion, which ought to be on the syllabus of American studies courses. (Nov. 4)
