Louis Menand Książki

Longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction The Cold War was not just a contest of power. It was also about ideas, in the broadest sense - economic and political, artistic and personal.

Examines the development of an American philosophy between the end of the Civil War and 1919 by exploring the lives of four key metaphysical thinkers: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., William James, Charles Sanders Peirce, and John Dewey.

Exploring pivotal moments in American cultural history, the author presents unique insights into figures like William James, T. S. Eliot, and Richard Wright. He connects seemingly disparate elements, such as the success of The New Yorker and CBS, and the interplay between Larry Flynt's Hustler and Jerry Falwell's evangelism. The narrative also highlights the significance of the atom bomb in relation to educational assessments, while reflecting on contemporary politics through Al Gore's tenure in the White House.