Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A contributor to the Nation revisits American history, highlighting the many crises that nearly caused permanent fracture.In his latest book, Kreitner effectively cleans the window that stands between us and our history-or what we have believed about our history. Beginning in 1620 with the arrival of the Pilgrims and ending with the election of Donald Trump-"the 2016 presidential election set off a volcanic upheaval unlike any since the one [Walt] Whitman welcomed in 1861. The next day, many Americans walked around as if in a daze, their faces the portrait of a divided nation"-the text highlights those moments, some no doubt unfamiliar to many readers, when colonies, territories, states, and groups within states considered rebellion and secession. Although the author discusses the most prominent of these, the Civil War, he focuses more on the little-known. He reminds us that the 13 Colonies did not gleefully unite against the British, that the Constitution did not arrive to universal acclaim, that we did not all leap enthusiastically into the War of 1812, that we have long feared and mistreated immigrants, and that there were numerous instances when our country was close to falling apart. Oregon, Washington, Texas, California, the New England states-these and other states have considered secession; in some cases, these efforts have been quite recent. Throughout, the author does an admirable job suppressing his own political views-until near the end, when he expresses his horror about the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, the GOP's intransigence with Barack Obama and its use of cultural issues (abortion, gay marriage, prayer in schools) to divide and conquer, the interference of Russia in our elections (yes, the Russians benefit mightily from an America in disarray), and the behavior of Trump, who has "certainly made those [cultural/political] divisions far worse."Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential to those wandering in the mists of American myth.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A contributor to the Nation revisits American history, highlighting the many crises that nearly caused permanent fracture.In his latest book, Kreitner effectively cleans the window that stands between us and our history-or what we have believed about our history. Beginning in 1620 with the arrival of the Pilgrims and ending with the election of Donald Trump-"the 2016 presidential election set off a volcanic upheaval unlike any since the one [Walt] Whitman welcomed in 1861. The next day, many Americans walked around as if in a daze, their faces the portrait of a divided nation"-the text highlights those moments, some no doubt unfamiliar to many readers, when colonies, territories, states, and groups within states considered rebellion and secession. Although the author discusses the most prominent of these, the Civil War, he focuses more on the little-known. He reminds us that the 13 Colonies did not gleefully unite against the British, that the Constitution did not arrive to universal acclaim, that we did not all leap enthusiastically into the War of 1812, that we have long feared and mistreated immigrants, and that there were numerous instances when our country was close to falling apart. Oregon, Washington, Texas, California, the New England states-these and other states have considered secession; in some cases, these efforts have been quite recent. Throughout, the author does an admirable job suppressing his own political views-until near the end, when he expresses his horror about the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, the GOP's intransigence with Barack Obama and its use of cultural issues (abortion, gay marriage, prayer in schools) to divide and conquer, the interference of Russia in our elections (yes, the Russians benefit mightily from an America in disarray), and the behavior of Trump, who has "certainly made those [cultural/political] divisions far worse."Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential to those wandering in the mists of American myth.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The Nation contributor Kreitner (Booked) delivers an eye-opening chronicle of separatist movements within the U.S. Contending that the antagonisms of the Trump presidency are nothing new, Kreitner traces social divisions based on regional, racial, and cultural differences from the colonial era to the present day, and writes that the refusal to recognize this long-running pull toward breaking up the union -has been a major cause of our political dysfunction and social strife.- He counters the popular conception that 19th-century Southern slave owners were the nation-s only true secessionists by showing how a group of New Englanders, leery of trade restrictions and the inevitable conflict with Great Britain and Native Americans brought on by westward expansion, conspired to secede from the U.S. after the Louisiana Purchase, and profiles members of contemporary secessionist movements in Texas and California. Briskly documenting centuries of conflict, Kreitner makes a strong case that the impulse to dissolve the union will always resonate in such a vast and diverse nation. How much this actually matters, given the country-s long history of sticking together, is left up to the reader to decide. Still, this entertaining history provides plenty of food for thought. Agent: Elias Altman, Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents. (Aug.)