The American Beast

'A stunning mosaic of contemporary America' - Fintan O'Toole

Essential reading, with quick insights and bomblets of surprise - TLS

A panoptical vision of modern America, from the brilliant mind of Jill Lepore.

The American Beast delves into the era of the 2010s, marking a significant shift in America's trajectory. It covers events from the lead-up to Donald Trump's election, followed by the chaos and confusion that ensued. With the wit and verve that has established Jill Lepore as the acclaimed national historian of her generation, she reflects on the era's consuming fissures: culture wars and media corrosion; disruptive innovation and techno-utopianism; constitutional crises surrounding gun rights; and a reckoning with a deep history of racial violence.

These essays make sense of American life amid polarization, capturing the tumultuous relationship between the country's violent past and its fractured present.

Praise for Jill Lepore:

'The pre-eminent historian of forgotten tales from America's past' - David Runciman

'A person can't help but feel inspired by the riveting intelligence and joyful curiosity of Lepore' - George Saunders

'Lepore writes history like a poet' - Dan Snow

'Lepore is that rare combination in modern life of intellect, originality and style' - Amanda Foreman