THE NYT BESTSELLER* As seen on Barack Obama's Summer 2026 Reading ListAmerica’s getting old. It’s soon to celebrate its 250th birthday. It’s getting harder and harder for its citizens to find anything to agree on, even the nation’s history. But it’s still possible to get out there and see the American past for yourself. And it’s a lot more interesting – and colourful – than any tired story of manifest destiny you’ve heard.Ride along with award-winning historian Beverly Gage on an epic road trip, a drive through US history in thirteen places, dropping by museums, a nuclear silo and a sex commune on the way. From the Battle of the Alamo to Richard Nixon in Disneyland, Gage dives into America’s messy contradictions and discovers a country we still can love.---'As a historiographic guide to the US - the story of a nation as told by "its museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, monuments, living history pageants,  battlefield reenactments  and souvenir shops" - it's pretty great.' The TimesFeatured in NYT Books We're Excited About This Spring

THE NYT BESTSELLER* As seen on Barack Obama's Summer 2026 Reading ListAmerica’s getting old. It’s soon to celebrate its 250th birthday. It’s getting harder and harder for its citizens to find anything to agree on, even the nation’s history. But it’s still possible to get out there and see the American past for yourself. And it’s a lot more interesting – and colourful – than any tired story of manifest destiny you’ve heard.Ride along with award-winning historian Beverly Gage on an epic road trip, a drive through US history in thirteen places, dropping by museums, a nuclear silo and a sex commune on the way. From the Battle of the Alamo to Richard Nixon in Disneyland, Gage dives into America’s messy contradictions and discovers a country we still can love.---'As a historiographic guide to the US - the story of a nation as told by "its museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, monuments, living history pageants,  battlefield reenactments  and souvenir shops" - it's pretty great.' The TimesFeatured in NYT Books We're Excited About This Spring