{"product_id":"twentyfive-books-that-shaped-america-how-white-whales-green-lights-and-restless-spirits-forged-our-national-identity-isbn-9780061834400","title":"Twenty-five Books That Shaped America: How White Whales, Green Lights, and Restless Spirits Forged Our National Identity","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of the New York Times bestselling How to Read Literature Like a Professor comes a highly entertaining and informative book on the twenty-five works of literature that have most shaped the American character. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThomas C. Foster applies his much-loved combination of wit, know-how, and analysis to explain how each work has shaped our very existence as readers, students, teachers, and Americans. He illuminates how books such as The Last of the Mohicans, Moby-Dick, My Ántonia, The Great Gatsby, The Maltese Falcon, Their Eyes Were Watching God, On the Road, The Crying of Lot 49, and others captured an American moment, how they influenced our perception of nationhood and citizenship, and what about them endures in the American character. Twenty-five Books That Shaped America is a fun and enriching guide to America through its literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow did a handful of stories come to define a nation’s soul?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe American Canon:\u003c\/b\u003e Join Foster as he builds his list of the \"Great Books\" that created the American myth, from Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography to the tales of Mark Twain.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLiterary Criticism Made Easy:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the wit and wisdom that made \u003ci\u003eHow to Read Literature Like a Professor\u003c\/i\u003e a bestseller, applied here to the foundational texts of the U.S.A.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eEssays on Literature:\u003c\/b\u003e Go beyond plot summaries to understand how these stories shaped our ideas of citizenship, nationhood, and what it means to be an American.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Book Lover’s Guide:\u003c\/b\u003e Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or discovering them for the first time, this guide offers fresh insights into the books that define us.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eFrom the author of the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling \u003cem\u003eHow to Read Literature Like a Professor\u003c\/em\u003e comes a highly entertaining and informative new book on the twenty-five works of literature that have most shaped the American character. Foster applies his much-loved combination of wit, know-how, and analysis to explain how each work has shaped our very existence as readers, students, teachers, and Americans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFoster illuminates how books such as \u003cem\u003eThe Last of the Mohicans\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMoby-Dick\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMy Ántonia\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Great Gatsby\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Maltese Falcon\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTheir Eyes Were Watching God\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOn the Road\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Crying of Lot 49\u003c\/em\u003e, and others captured an American moment, how they influenced our perception of nationhood and citizenship, and what about them endures in the American character. \u003cem\u003eTwenty-five Books That Shaped America\u003c\/em\u003e is a fun and enriching guide to America through its literature.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Many readers will wish they had a high-school English teacher as cheery and engaged as Foster.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Foster is a witty, quirkily provocative, and perceptive literary critic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Funny, challenging, clear, and always insightful, this intriguing book will make you think again about what it means to be an American.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanice A. Radway, author of A Feeling for Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44887927947493,"sku":"NP9780061834400","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061834400.jpg?v=1730227755","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/twentyfive-books-that-shaped-america-how-white-whales-green-lights-and-restless-spirits-forged-our-national-identity-isbn-9780061834400","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}