Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic [Paperback]

Jonathan Freedland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Freedland is a columnist and leader writer for the Guardian. Until 1997 he was the paper's Washington Correspondent. Previously a reporter for BBC news and current affairs, he has been a frequent contributor to magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, including Vogue, GQ and Elle. This is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841150215
• ISBN-13: 978-1841150215
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,602,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank Heaven We Live in America!, January 23, 2005

By 

Allan from San Francisco (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic (Paperback)

Here is an easy to read and understand book by a British author who bemoans the fact (although he didn't say so in exactly these words) that most Europeans, including the British, still have a serf mentality. Americans, however, believe that the government is their servant, not their master, which is the book's central theme and what the author admires most about America. (He also recommends a few ways that the British can make their government freer and more like ours.) "What it all adds up to," he says on page 52, "is an American culture of rights that allows the people to stand up to authority, whether through the Bill of Rights, the Freedom of Information Act or guaranteed free speech." He also admires how easily Americans can initiate ballot initiatives. All Americans know about the events of 1776 and 1789, but (page 156) "...Britain has no start date and no founding purpose."

Give me liberty over "security" any day. Now we finally have a British author who thinks the same way, and it's about time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for poli-sci buffs with an anglophile streak, November 20, 2007

By 

Ms. Jerramy Fine (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic (Paperback)

Wonderful book - and really easy to read. It simple terms it describes all that is good about the American and English governments can be combined. Very clever and often times, very funny. Perfect for poli-sci buffs that have a bit of an anglophile streak.