American Nations

A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

By: Colin Woodard

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

An illuminating history of North America's 11 rival cultural regions that explodes the red state/blue state myth.

North America was settled by people with distinct religious, political, and ethnographic characteristics, creating regional cultures that have been at odds with one another ever since. Subsequent immigrants didn't confront or assimilate into an "American" or "Canadian" culture, but rather into one of the 11 distinct regional ones that spread over the continent, each staking out mutually exclusive territory.

In American Nations, Colin Woodard leads us on a journey through the history of our fractured continent and the rivalries and alliances between its component nations, which conform to neither state nor international boundaries. He illustrates and explains why "American" values vary sharply from one region to another.

Woodard reveals how intranational differences have played a pivotal role at every point in the continent's history, from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the tumultuous sixties and the "blue county/red county" maps of recent presidential elections. American Nations is a revolutionary and revelatory take on America's myriad identities and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and are molding our future.

©2011 Colin Woodward (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Woodard offers a fascinating way to parse American (writ large) politics and history in this excellent book." ( Kirkus)

"Woodard explains away partisanship in American Nations... which makes the provocative claim that our culture wars are inevitable. North America was settled by groups with distinct political and religious value - and we haven't had a moment's peace since." ( Publishers Weekly)

Mind rending. Thought provoking. Perception changi

This book took facts I knew, and didn't know, and couched them into a cultural context that suddenly made sense... This is what we need more than ever today with so many fractures... Better a mosaic of different cultures than an assumed hodgepodge marriage of irreconcilable differences.

A New Yorker's opinion

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Didn't get half way thru. I was a little concerned at having to discern what is correct and fair, from what is "one man's opinion". -- a little too much work in that regard.

Any additional comments?

Every one has a perspective, and it's hard to get around. The premise was fascinating, but sullied by the fact that everyone but the Dutch settling New York were arrogant, and opinionated. I guess I'm just arrogant and opinionated!

Excellent, unique look at American History

It takes a great deal to impress me with a book on American history. American Nations did that, both with its scope and accessibility. It truly provides an idiosyncratic take on the development of the United States (and to a lesser extent Canada and Mexico). The narration is also quite clear and engaging.

Diving Down Into America's Regional Cultures

A retelling of American history, from the early colonial era until today (well, until a couple of years ago), through the prism of various regional cultures that persist from those earliest days until now. We know the country is divided between North and South, red and blue states, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals. But Colin Woodard takes a deeper dive to show how politics and mores evolved across nearly a dozen regional cultures rather than though binary choices.

I was thoroughly convinced by this thesis and fascinated by the lines connecting the first colonists through the Revolution, Civil War, Sixties, up to the present day, and many watershed moments in between. I learned, for example, that the Pacific coast is so closely aligned today with the Northeast because those areas were originally settled by New Englanders (places like Portland and Salem, Oregon, were named after the cities in New England) -- they still share the same values.

If you're from the South or Appalachia or the West, you're not going to like the unflattering views of those areas. I'm from New York and I was reminded that my city introduced the African slave trade to America, that our corporations exploited the Far West, that our financiers have been defrauding taxpayers since the days of Alexander Hamilton. Woodard's own home area, New England, is roasted for how badly they treated Native Americans and how insufferably they tried to impose their views on others (still do). So I don't believe any region gets off easy, except perhaps Quebec (New France) and what we call Middle America, the middle class, large parts of PA and the upper Midwest.

If I have any criticism -- and obviously I've rated this five stars across the board, so there's not much I want to criticize -- I did feel (as others have pointed out) once you get past the Civil War, the thesis starts to unravel a bit. That part of the history is rushed and not altogether convincing. Of course, with all that happened in the 20th century, especially advances in transportation and communication, waves of immigration and the Depression, people started to move around a lot more and lines did start to blur, so it's really a continuing part of the story that by definition dilutes regional homogeneity.

All in all, this is just great stuff -- unless you're sensitive about how your region is portrayed, in which case, this is not for you.

Very informative and easy to understand.

This book makes it easy to see how our society and political atmosphere has evolved or, if you prefer, devolved into what it is today. The narrator was articulate and engaging with a subject matter that could, otherwise handled, put one to sleep. Excellent overall. Highly recommend.

very entertaining and informational.

very enjoyable and informative. try it out. I'm goin to listen to it again and again

Though Provoking

This is a thought provoking novel that explores how the colonization/foundation of different areas of North America has played a role in shaping the areas' culturally and politically to this day. The last chapter and epilogue were a little too utopian for my liking but until that point, the concepts were presented in a logical and unbiased manner which shed a lot of light on how modern America has been shaped.

A must read

Great book and a must read for anyone who wants to understand America’s past and why we’re so divided in the present. The explanation this book provides is that American isn’t just one country it’s actially 11 separate Nations with 11 different cultures. Thr author traces the founding of these cultures and explains why they act like they do. Unfortunately the modern era with its social media echo chambers has amplified the beliefs in these nations, meaning the importance of this book will only continue to grow over time. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Invisible Borders and Hidden Nations

This was a very interesting book, and one which I wish I had listened to more closely. This is one of those books that I am certain I will listen to again, because I missed a lot of the particulars, which is often a problem with audio books in the car. there's a lot of history here and a lot of information on where the politics of the various regions in North America come from. It seems well researched and the information is both feasible and logically presented. I enjoyed the narration and the history lesson.

Hidden truths

What made the experience of listening to American Nations the most enjoyable?

The migration, multitude of divers cultures influence on one another, accurate time lines of cultural integrations, European influences on society. The most enjoyable being Naming and separating these groups (Nations) to an extent that you can make sense of the orgy of events,peoples,and locations, to provide a deeper understanding of our true history's.

What other book might you compare American Nations to and why?

Never ready anything quite like this. It stands apart.

Which character – as performed by Walter Dixon – was your favorite?

Native American and french influences on our culture.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Culture Clash

Any additional comments?

The depth and range of this book is staggering. With out a background in history the speed at witch the information is put at you can be daunting. I would suggest listening to it at least 2 times. The second of witch should be taken in bites. All in all i was enlightened and pleased.