Smashing Statues

The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments

De: Erin Thompson

Narrado por: Heather Masters

A leading expert’s exploration of the past, present, and future of public monuments in America.

An urgent and fractious national debate over public monuments has erupted in America. Some people risk imprisonment to tear down long-ignored hunks of marble; others form armed patrols to defend them. Why do we care so much about statues? And who gets to decide which ones should stay up and which should come down?

Erin L. Thompson, the country’s leading expert in the tangled aesthetic, legal, political, and social issues involved in such battles, brings much-needed clarity in Smashing Statues. She traces the turbulent history of American monuments and its abundant ironies, starting with the enslaved man who helped make the statue of Freedom atop the US Capitol, and explores the surprising motivations behind such contemporary flashpoints as the toppling of a statue of Columbus at the Minnesota State Capitol. Written with great verve and thoroughly researched, Smashing Statues gives listeners the context they need to consider the fundamental question: Whose voices must be heard, and whose pain must remain private?

From the Back Cover:

The real stories behind some of America’s most famed statues:

• Mount Rushmore
• The Freedom statue atop the United States Capitol Building
• Stone Mountain
• The first monument honoring historical women in New York City’s Central Park
• The North Carolina State Confederate Monument
• Christopher Columbus, toppled in Minnesota
• The Confederate monument removed from Birmingham, Alabama
• The controversial Freedmen’s Memorial in Washington, DC
• And more.

©2022 Erin Thompson (P)2022 Spotify Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A crisply written book encompassing law, art, history and politics that contextualizes the American debate over monuments." (Library Journal, starred review)

"Offers a probing examination of the meaning of public monuments.… A well-informed, often surprising, history of public veneration." (Kirkus Reviews)

"[A] trenchant account…. Full of intriguing historical tidbits and incisive cultural analysis, this is a worthy study of a complex and controversial issue." (Publishers Weekly)

So interesting and insightful!

Changes the way you think about monuments and public symbols! I really enjoyed the discussion of why monuments are put up in the first place. I felt like this was a fresh perspective in a heated debate that everyone can learn from!

Accurate Description

An explanation of the statues for what they represent and what they meant at the time of their placement. I find those seeking honor for their losses to causes of oppression do not realize the horror of those causes remain.