Description:
In a substantial new afterword to his classic account of the collapse of American triumphalism in the wake of World War II, Tom Engelhardt carries that story into the twenty-first century. He explores how, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the younger George Bush headed for the Wild West (Osama bin Laden, "Wanted, Dead or Alive"); how his administration brought "victory culture" roaring back as part of its Global War on Terror and its rush to invade Saddam Husseins's Iraq; and how, from its "Mission Accomplished" moment on, its various stories of triumph crashed and burned in that land.
Review Quotes:
"Sets out to trace the vicissitudes of America's self-image since World War II as they showed up in popular culture: war toys, war comics, war reporting, and war films. It succeeds brilliantly. . . . Engelhardt's prose is smart and smooth, and his book is social and cultural history of a high order."--Boston Globe
"Engelhardt is absorbing and provocative. . . . Everything he writes is of a satisfyingly congruent piece."--New York Times"America, according to Engelhardt, is still yearning for a revival of our national identity via the victory culture, 'the story of their slaughter and our triumph.'"--Publishers Weekly
"Engelhardt traces the growth and decline of 'victory culture' in American history. . . . his book will appeal to anyone interested in American popular culture."--Library Journal "America Victorious has been our country's postulate since its birth. Tom Engelhardt, with a burning clarity, recounts the end of this fantasy, from the split atom to Vietnam. . . . As powerful as a Joe Louis jab to the solar plexus."--Studs Terkel, author of The Good War "A brilliant meditation on the past half-century of the American national story. . . . Its account of the disintegration of a confident post-World War II national identity is a stunning achievement."--Marilyn Young, author of The Vietnam Wars "An extraordinarily original work that places postwar American history in an entirely new perspective."--John Dower, author of War without Mercy "In this tour de force, Tom Engelhardt tracks the American 'war' story along its declining arc. . . . Full of brilliancies, this is one of those rare books that can change the way we see."--Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties