With America ever under global scrutiny, Russell Banks contemplates the questions of our origins, values, heroes, conflicts, and contradictions. He writes with conversational ease and emotional insight, drawing on contemporary politics, literature, film, and his knowledge of American history.

With America ever under global scrutiny, Russell Banks contemplates the questions of our origins, values, heroes, conflicts, and contradictions. He writes with conversational ease and emotional insight, drawing on contemporary politics, literature, film, and his knowledge of American history. In Dreaming Up America, Banks shows how the differing motives of the first colonists, the influence of slavery and African-American culture, and the intermingling of destructive and creative forces have changed us.

“Russell Banks is not only one of our great novelists but also a courageous and visionary citizen who understands the centrality of race and the magnanimity of democracy. His first nonfiction book is a gem!” –Cornel West


“Russell Banks as a novelist has always dared to illuminate the larger issues of human interaction in a society that too often dishonors human rights. Here he gives us a thoughtful and provocative meditation on our history, with a chilling look at what happened to the American dream.” –Howard Zinn


“Russell Banks understands the narratives we invent as Americans to explain ourselves to ourselves. He plummets to the depths of the American soul, holds it up for view and offers in his insights the possibility for atonement.” –Chris Hedges