This Land is Your Land by Beverly Gage

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND by Beverly Gage presents “A Road Trip Through U.S. History.” Gage, an award-winning author who teaches American History at Yale, sets out to look at American history by visiting some key locations.  She begins her journey in the Philadelphia area where, of course, the Declaration of Independence was signed. From there, she pursues a rough chronology, visiting presidential homes in Virginia and later Nashville (Andrew Jackson’s adopted hometown).  Subsequent chapters inform readers about the Alamo and central Texas and then upstate New York (focusing on the early to mid 1800s when the Erie Canal and other events contributed to the “Silicon Valley of its day”).  Further stops include The Dakotas, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Alamos, Selma, and even Disneyland.  I found Gage’s writing to be relatively entertaining and even amusing at points. She has a talent for sharing many facts without overwhelming or boring her readers. Gage is right to comment upon negative aspects of American history (e.g., the ownership of enslaved people by many Founding Fathers, treatment of indigenous people, etc.) and I agree with her that “it’s possible to hold both sets of ideas—to know your history and still love your country. Americans can be patriots and critics, citizens and dissenters, all at once.” That openness makes our history more real and relevant, but she seemed to stress these aspects again and again which will be off-putting for some readers. The Wall Street Journal reviewer notes that “the book doesn’t quite deliver on its promise; this ‘warts-and-all’ look at the American past dwells, a bit predictably, on the warts.” Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called it “a marvelous deep dive into the American psyche.” Hopefully, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND does spark dialogue and reflection, while increasing interest in visiting many of these locales. By her own count, Gage visited “approximately three hundred historic sites, museums, battlefields, parks, monuments, and roadside attractions.” For added perspective, readers may also want to read or listen to titles such as The Great Contradiction by Joseph J. Ellis, The Agitators by Dorothy Wickenden, or The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior, but they should also look at the multi-page list of Recommended Reading that Gage has compiled.  In addition, her notes comprise approximately ten percent of the text.