Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877–1920

One of the best books of 2009: The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune , and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

"Fascinating. . . . Engaging. . . . Like the best histories, it is also a book that speaks to our own time." — The New York Times Book Review

In the half-century between the Civil War and World War I, dreams of spiritual, moral, and physical rebirth formed the foundation for the modern United States. Inspired by imperial ambition, presidents and entrepreneurs—from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to Andrew Carnegie—helped usher the nation into the modern era, but sometimes the consequences of their actions failed to match the grandeur of their hopes.

Award-winning historian Jackson Lears richly chronicles this momentous period in America—years marked by wrenching social conflict and vigorous political debate—vividly capturing the roles played by a variety of seekers, from Gilded Age mavericks to vaudeville entertainers, and from populist farmers and progressive reformers to avant-garde artists and writers. Illuminating and authoritative, Rebirth of a Nation brilliantly weaves the remarkable story of this crucial epoch into a masterful work of history.

"Dazzling cultural history: smart, provocative, and gripping. It is also a book for our times, historically grounded, hopeful, and filled with humane, just, and peaceful possibilities." — The Washington Post