Shakespeare in a Divided America by James Shapiro

James Shapiro’s SHAKESPEARE IN A DIVIDED AMERICA focuses on eight moments in American history between 1833 and 2017 to explain “What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future.” Shapiro, currently the Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, says that “Shakespeare took root in the United States because he spoke to what Americans cared about.” Shapiro is a noted authority, having written other books about Shakespeare’s works and having served on the board of directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here, he combines history and literature while looking at divisive issues like immigration, same-sex love, and Manifest Destiny. Shapiro’s analysis has recently been published in paperback and I can see where this text might have some interest for our American Studies classes, but it would be helpful to have more of a curriculum guide. In 2020, SHAKESPEARE IN A DIVIDED AMERICA received a starred review from Publishers Weekly as well as being named one of the New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year and a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.