Colin Woodard's American Nations: A Review

by Sean O'Rourke

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, is a critically acclaimed book, by the award winning journalist Colin Woodard, analyzing the influence that regional cultures of North American have had upon the continent. Since its release late in 2011 it has gone from triumph to triumph even wining the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

American Nations is hardly the first book comparing regional cultures in the United States. Since David Hackett Fischer's seminal work Albion's Seed, published in 1989, a popular genre of work critiquing American regionalism has arisen with books aimed at a variety of readers. This book sits firmly on the better end of the scale and is a book well worth reading.

RT Op-Ed: Pain in the Brass

In an Op-Ed presented on RT several months ago, “Pain in the Brass: Petraeus Joins Sullied Trinity of Fallen Generals”, William Echols has written an exceptional analysis of Gen. Petraeus' fall from grace. He brings various pieces of puzzle together from break with tradition that was the Petraeus doctrine and ultimate failure to the willingness of the Obama doctrine to ride rough-shod over the American Brass.

With three four-star generals disgraced in as many years and the tale-tale signs that two more (Generals Allen and Ward) will have joined them on the chopping block in as many weeks, Echols' Op-Ed for RT lays bare questions that should be in the forefront of responsible journalism.