american national characteristics

Examines America's contemporary batch of amateurs and their pursuits, arguing that America's love of self-invented obsessives has always driven the country to rediscover the true heart of the American dream.

Explores how America is under attack not only from terrorists, but from people who provide a rationale for terrorism, and defends America against the accusations and statements made by terrorist groups and other countries.

Analyzes the way in which definitions of the American Dream have changed from the earliest pilgrims to the present.

A collection of essays by various authors which reflect on every aspect of baseball, including the game's players, rules, historic hits, coaches, and traditions.

The author parallels the history of her family with that of California, focusing on the contradictions between how California is idealized and the reality of conditions in the state.

A treasury of approximately fifty interviews with ordinary Americans drawn from eight earlier works by Terkel published between 1967 and 1995, providing a chronicle of the country from the 1920s through the 1990s.

One hundred and fifty ordinary citizens, politicians, and celebrities present short essays on what it means to be an American in light of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; includes such figures as George Bush, Lisa Beamer, Maya Angelou, and William Shatner.

Describes etiquette and customs in the United States, covering a wide range of information on topics including dining, socializing, and doing business. Provides a cultural quiz, do's and don'ts list, and annotated resource list.

Presents over one hundred poems, composed between the late seventeenth and the twenty-first century, that commemorate the landscapes, institutions, and transforming events of America.