Review of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard

Too sharply drawn perhaps, but essential

Extreme polarization has jolted many of us out of a complacency we scarcely knew we indulged. After a lifetime as a political junky, I am beginning to seriously wonder how well I understand the United States – I had assumed so much and ignored much more. Woodard’s book is a regional history of the United States, as 11 separate “nations” or more accurat…