Lunchbreak Program with Sarah Churchwell–Behold, America: The Entangled History of America First and the American Dream

On Thursday, May 13th at 12 noon, The Book Stall welcomes author Sarah Churchwell for a Lunchbreak program discussing her new book, Behold, America: The Entangled History of America First and the American Dream. Our 45-minute Lunchbreak programs are designed to fit into your midday schedule whether you are working from home or in the office. This free program is open to the public.

About the Book: In Behold, America, Sarah Churchwell offers a surprising account of twentieth-century Americans’ fierce battle for the nation’s soul. It follows the stories of two phrases — The American dream and America First — that once embodied opposing visions for America. Starting as a Republican motto before becoming a hugely influential isolationist slogan during World War I, “America First” was always closely linked with authoritarianism and white supremacy. “The American dream,” meanwhile, initially represented a broad vision of democratic and economic equality. Churchwell traces these notions through the 1920s boom, the Depression, and the rise of fascism at home and abroad, laying bare the persistent appeal of demagoguery in America and showing us how it was resisted. At a time when many ask what America’s future holds, “Behold, America” is a revelatory, unvarnished portrait of where we have been.

“Lively and eminently readable…. Churchwell has produced a timely and clearly argued book that makes a clear case for the intellectual parallels between the first third of the 20th century and our own.” – The Financial Times

About the Author: Sarah Churchwell is professor of American literature and public understanding of the humanities at the University of London. The author and editor of several previous books, including the acclaimed Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of the Great Gatsby, she is a native of Chicago, now living in London.

Conversation partner Jon Grand is a longtime Book Staller and omnivorous, passionate reader–we depend on his wit and wisdom. He’s interviewed a wide variety of writers, both live and via our Crowdcast events.