- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Fourth Estate; New Ed edition (15 April 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841150215
- ISBN-13: 978-1841150215
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 332,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
• ‘The book of the year’ Will Hutton
• ‘Splendid … a serious political work, which borders on being a revolutionary’s manifesto.’ Time
• ‘Both Blair and Hague would do well to read it’ George Walden
• ‘As an example of its genre, Bring Home the Revolution is perfect’ Evening Standard
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Product Description
On a switchback ride through the USA, riding pillion with America’s founding fathers, Jonathan Freedland searches out the qualities that made America the land at the end of his childhood rainbow, the place his grandfather and he conspired to run off to because of its open promise and unbounded potential.
Noisy, crass, greedy, riddled with crime, riven by race, obsessed by money: America, exporter of junk to the UK. Or is it?
From Lesbianville in New Hampshire to Tent City in Arizona, from the high kitsch celebration of Liberace to the Bible Belt austerity of Iowa, from the paranoid militia of rural Montana to Florida’s Condo Canyon, this is a journey to the heart of modern America – to Normal, Illinois.
On his travels Freedland reveals how Americans control of their own lives, shape their own communities and vibrantly assert their rights. And there’s even a twist: the spirit that inspires the American secret is actually our own – a British revolutionary fervour mislaid across the Atlantic.
This what has made America the diverse, freedom-loving, self-sufficient, independent icon to the world: the place where socialism never took hold because it is inherent in the founding vision, where capitalism at the same time has reached its apogee; where many cultures contribute to the national fabric and yet the sense of belonging to the nation and reverence for its symbols is unmatched across the globe. It’s time Britain shared the vitality: time to reclaim the revolution and bring it home.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jonathan Freedland is a gifted writer able to present an argument that flows gently across the pages of his book whilst remaining all thw while persuasive. Each chapter shows the workings of democracy in the United States and how our own country is sadly deficient when it comes to true democratic practice.
Even if you are a dyed in the wool monarchist, you should read this book, if for no other reason than it is a fascinating exploration of how notions of community and patriotism have remained an everpresent aspect of American life and why our country lacks both. It is also brings to light the true nature of some of Britain's best 'institutions', exposing how much of our Anti-americanism is rooted in snobbery and regret.
It also brings to light just how little this country has acted as a positive force for change, showing how even venerated figures like the economist John Maynard Keynes were prone to fascist sentiment when it came to those less fortunate than himself. If our country can not only tolerate such figures but retain a cadre of people who worship at their altar, then we need people like mr Freedland to provide us with some hope for the future.
Even if you are a dyed in the wool monarchist, you should read this book, if for no other reason than it is a fascinating exploration of how notions of community and patriotism have remained an everpresent aspect of American life and why our country lacks both. It is also brings to light the true nature of some of Britain's best 'institutions', exposing how much of our Anti-americanism is rooted in snobbery and regret.
It also brings to light just how little this country has acted as a positive force for change, showing how even venerated figures like the economist John Maynard Keynes were prone to fascist sentiment when it came to those less fortunate than himself. If our country can not only tolerate such figures but retain a cadre of people who worship at their altar, then we need people like mr Freedland to provide us with some hope for the future.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Freedland's book is a provocative and aspiring view of what the political system within Great Britain could have been. This book is a must read for anyone who lived through the Thatcher government and beyond, only to have seen it replaced by an all to insipid Labour party which appears to have assumed all of their guises.
Freedland's main argument is that whilst the two Goverments in USA and Great Britain face the same challenges and issues, it is the way that they reach a conclusion that is fundamentaly different and one which has repercussions on society as a whole.
The aim of the book is twofold. Firstly it strikes home that in Great Britain, we are essentially living in an elected dictatorship, with a show of power by the people once every four or five years when the present Government dissolves and a general election is called. Power is devolved from the top down, with the general electorate left with practically no influence over policy and a benign Goverment deciding what is or isn't in our interest. Whether the ruling party is Labour or Tory makes no difference. the mechanics of Government turn in the sme way.
Secondly, Freedland suggests ways in which the American model could be transposed and work within the existing framework. the emphasis is on devolved power to a local level, dealing with issues or concerns at a grass roots level, more in tune and in touch within the community it affects, whilst still retaining an overall central system to manage affairs of national importance. In this way, local authorities would not be unduly restrained by London and would be able to respond to individual requirements.
This book provides a hope for the dissillusioned, for those who have lost faith in all politicians. It should be given to all members of the house of commons, if only to remind them that they are elected to serve their constituencies.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What an eye-opener! This really does challenge the "British Club". If you ever wanted to understand why the majority of the British are apathetic towards government, this book will help you. It doesn't present America as a panacea either. There is much to criticise in America, and much to praise. There is not very much to praise about the political system in Britain, once you understand upon what it is built.
Next time a politician turns up on your doorstep to canvass for your vote, give him this book.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A British republic yes, but not on the American model. It won't work...
This badly written, unfocussed, too-long book doesn't know if it wants to be scholarly and serious, or jokey and populist. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2009 by Tom in London
Should be made compulsory school reading
Any book that calls for Liz Windsor to be removed from the throne deserves to be compulsory reading for all UK school children. Read more
Published on 25 July 2007 by Doctor Syn
Changing Times
I read this book several years ago and remember being inspired by its premise. I recommend it for anyone interested in the concepts of freedom and democracy as it is fascinating in... Read more
Published on 13 May 2007 by Mr. C. Bentley
This is opinion, not argument.
Having read all the reviews, I opened this book ready to be coverted to the American way.
Well, I now have a better understanding of why Americans live and think the way they... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2002 by Martin Akiyama
And I thought we lived in a democracy...
A supherb analysis of how we ought to be. America has it's faults, that's true, but it certainly makes one look at our distorted 'democracy' in a totally different way - you can... Read more
Published on 12 April 2001 by david.webber@talk21.com
Everyone should read it!
Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down. I found that I agreed with almost all of the contents, and have since bored my friends to death debating the contents and... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2000 by N. L. Gill
Sneering Brits are the baddies again
Months after my first reading of this book, I still find it utterly convincing and yet profoundly depressing because -- realistically -- what is the chance of a grass-roots... Read more
Published on 22 July 2000
Excellent discourse on democracy and how Britain falls short
This book should be required reading for all those snide, sneering, snobbish and class-embracing brits who find it hip and de riguere to slag off the yanks <HELLOOOOOO JEREMY... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2000 by "112012614"
Clear conscise and extremely readable
Freedland sets out in his book that the U.S was created by English radicals and can only be understood in the context of Engilsh radicalism, from Tom Paine to Chartism. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2000
Intelligently argued, view of Britain's political process
As an American who has always loved Britain, I learned a lot from this book. While it's true that from a very early age, Americans learn that the Revolution was fought against the... Read more
Published on 21 April 2000 by D. Hernandez
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
