American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions (Paperback)

by Chris Matthews (Author) "There was once an upscale men's shop in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., that featured a shiny metal nameplate over the door of its..." (more)
Key Phrases: reluctant warrior, little rebellion, freedom ring, New York, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
TV pundit Matthews invokes a kaleidoscope of cultural icons, including Lincoln, Bogart, Hemingway, Oprah and the Don't Tread On Me rattlesnake in this giddy, slapdash, intermittently coherent love letter to "American-ness." Matthews boils down this broad idea into some basic-and sometimes contradictory-precepts. Americans, he says, are pugnacious but anti-militaristic; they admire gun-slinging loners and heroic men of action, but love the little guy and underdogs; they are optimists with a manifest destiny and an eye for personal reinvention. Matthews's analysis rarely goes beyond hagiographies of celebrities and politicians and ardent appreciations of movies like Casablanca and Rocky (or in a darker-but still light-mood, Taxi Driver, whose psychotic hero is an "oddly comforting figure from our frontier past" possessed of an "edgy generosity" and "readiness to give all"). Some claims are suspect: that Americans "reject the dandified haberdashery of war," for instance, might come as news to legions of Civil War reenacters. The volume's vaguely populist centrism nods benignly at Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, at pro-gun and pro-choice sentiments, at Vietnam War POW John McCain and Vietnam War draft-dodgers, all of whom partake of our transcendent national essence. His Whitmanesque embrace of contradictions papers over great fissures in American politics and society, but that is precisely the point of Matthews's positive, chest-thumping thesis: it's all good. Photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

From Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball and NBC's The Chris Matthews Show, and New York Times bestselling author of Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, comes a definitive work on the lifeblood of America -- its enduring spirit.

People have often wondered what makes America truly great. With a citizenry of vastly different races, religions, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds, what intangible bond unites and defines us as "Americans"? In his own inimitable style, Chris Matthews offers a portrait of a country born of contradictions. We are a people reluctant to fight, who become ferocious when threatened or attacked. We are a deeply practical nation, yet we stand as the world's great optimists. Inherently suspicious of governmental power, we still embrace our flag in times of danger. Fiercely independent, in love with freedom, and eager to face the future, we are like no other people on earth.

Matthews asserts that our greatest strength is a set of distinct notions that comprise our national character. The self-made man. The reluctant warrior. The lone hero. We celebrate them in our popular culture and throughout our history, from 1776 to 9/11. In American, Matthews explores the best America stands for and portrays our country as a beacon for the modern world -- unafraid of challenges, moving ever forward, and ready and willing to prevail.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (November 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743240871
• ISBN-13: 978-0743240871
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #873,971 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The audio version does not disappoint, November 27, 2003

By	"[e-mail]" (Franklin, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American : Beyond Our Grandest Notions (Audio CD)

Okay, so what makes the audio version of a book better than the bound version? Why, the reader, of course! How about if the reader is the guy who actually wrote the book? Even better, right? Suppose the guy has a highly rated show on MSNBC? Hmmm...intriguing. If you're a Hardball fan, you've come to expect a certain delivery from its mildly quirky host, Chris Matthews. Here we have a gathering of Matthews' favorite moments in American history. They may not necessarily be your favorite moments, but who cares? It's just fun listening. Matthews succeeds in bringing historical perspective and American attitude to what he considers to be important moments in cinema, politics, and events, which have shaped our country and its development. He could have continued with the idea, and possibly have written ten times the volume of work, but he kept it short and sweet. Here's the beauty of the concept. Sequels, sequels, and more sequels. Matthews has left the idea wide open for endless opportunities to add to the collection. I for one will be there to purchase every audio CD version as it becomes available. When you listen to Matthews reading his own stuff, you can occasionally catch a glimpse of the emotion he wants you to feel. Probably the same emotion intended during the writing process. He tried to keep it subdued, and during the first disk he appeared to consciously keep it under the speed limit. But with everything he does the intensity level creeps up on you, and he takes it up a notch. You really can't help but get into it. Why is Chris Matthews so successful, well respected, and yes feared by certain political and media figures? Because they don't take the time to research what his passions are before they appear on his show. My advice to guys like Kerry, Dean, and Gephardt is simple. Read or listen to Matthews' book before going on Hardball. If you're not good at thinking on your feet or taking the control away from the host (good luck), then you run the risk of being eaten alive like one Dennis Kucinich. Now the guy won't even appear on Matthews' series of shows from the Kennedy School of Government. Have a nice life, Dennis. If you're a guy like Joe Biden, however, who happens to be one of the guys that Matthews can't seem to touch, then you don't need the prep. Kerry should have read this book. I'm typing this before the Howard Dean show. Can't wait for the fireworks. They really need to let Chris moderate one of these debates. Wouldn't that be fun? One day MSNBC will smarten up and put Matthews up against O'Reilly. Anyway, you won't be disappointed with the book in any version unless you can't stand the guy. But if you're not a fan of his stuff then what are you doing even reading this review? I'm not trying to be a Chris Matthews suck up, or maybe I am, but I happen to like the guy. His idealistic albeit liberal approach reflects true patriotism. It is not only patriotic to question one's government, but it is every American's duty and responsibility.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sunnycarcinoid, November 17, 2002

By	Susan L. Anderson "Sunny Susan in AZ" (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: American : Beyond Our Grandest Notions (Hardcover)

I recommend this book, it is only 200+ pages and very well documented. It could be very good resource material for a civic class, American history class, and should be required reading for American's. This book is NOT negative, but delves into why we are like we are and not like anyone else in the world. Chris comes up with ten, uniquely American notions and they are very interesting. IMHO (in my humble opinion) this is very worthwhile reading! Senator John McCain is one of his contemporary examples, but Chris goes back to before the Revolutionary War for other examples.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars All-American, April 26, 2003

By	bill runyon (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American : Beyond Our Grandest Notions (Hardcover)

Author Matthews has an "All-American" view of our collective
history, and he does a nice job of highlighting some of the
things that have specifically shaped him into a particular
"all-American" character himself.
He touches briefly on some of our cultural heroes, and since
they are all worthy of review, his thoughts on them are
worth reading. It seems a bit odd that he puts such emphasis
on movies and their heroes, but those movies have no doubt
influenced his view of America, just as other factors have
shaped our own view.
The author hits only the high points of a rather odd mixture
of historic figures, but they are all worth reviewing, and
he gives the reader some positive thoughts to consider, and
it is a nice review of a few American leaders who have influenced our collective thinking about exactly what a "real"
American is.
Given the author's experience and education, this book has a
rather "light" feel to it, and it is rather easy to get through
it quickly, but his points are nonetheless valid. Many factors
make up a true American, and they come from a great variety of
sources during the last 300 years, and we still credit a lot
of our qualities to our forebearers, both real and fictional.
An interesting read.