Description: From the halls of Congress to the open prairies, and from the fight against George III to the Trail of Tears, Liberty's Grid tells the story of the continuing battle between grid-makers and their opponents. On the one side are the rectilinear streets of Manhattan and the squared corn fields of Kansas, on the other the curvy paths of Central Park and the cliffs of Yosemite Valley. To grid creators, America appears a land of limitless freedom; to those beholden to the rhythms of nature and history, the naturalistic is an escape from moral collapse. Their conflict, Alexander shows, is written on our landscape.
Brief description: Amir Alexander teaches history at the University of California, Los Angeles. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Nature, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He is the author of four books, including Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World and Proof! How the World Became Geometrical.
Review Quotes:
"A beautifully written history of the physical and sociopolitical shaping of America, using the lens of land surveys and urban design. . . . A fascinating story about a nation being born."
-- "Isis"