The American Story by David M. Rubenstein

THE AMERICAN STORY by David M. Rubenstein surprised me – I had not looked carefully enough and expected a bit of a narrative about American history. Instead, this book contains reflections about the more personal stories of key Americans as seen through the lens of historians and biographers. The pairings are excellent and informative: for example, Caro on LBJ; Chernow on Hamilton; Goodwin on Lincoln. Plus, Rubenstein includes an interview with Chief Justice John Roberts (who himself considered becoming an historian) about the Supreme Court. That section alone is very informative both in terms of small details (Roberts entered Harvard with Bill Gates and graduated with Yo-Yo Ma) and broader perspective (Roberts speaks of laws as “wise restraints that men make” and his role as being like that of an umpire who “doesn’t make the rules … [but] applies them. … You are not on either team when a case is in front of you.”). For each of over a dozen chapters, Rubenstein includes a few pages of perspective about the historian and their subject and then provides the interview, originally conducted as part of the Congressional Dialogues which are sponsored with the Library of Congress, primarily for members of Congress. Hopefully this series will continue, with an even broader list of subjects (especially more women and people of color), but Rubenstein’s interest in the arts and history shines through as does the scholarship of the interviewees. As Kirkus says, “an excellent introduction to leading historians and the books every engaged American should read.” THE AMERICAN STORY would make an informative summer read for our American history and/or Civics students.