The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century by Boorstin, Jon
The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century by Boorstin, Jon

The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century

What does it mean to be an American? Historian Daniel J. Boorstin, one of the most important...
$41.94 USD
$41.94 USD
Please hurry! Only 622 left in stock
Author: Jon Boorstin
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $41.94
The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century by Boorstin, Jon

The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century

$41.94
The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century by Boorstin, Jon

The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century

$41.94
Author: Jon Boorstin
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description

What does it mean to be an American? Historian Daniel J. Boorstin, one of the most important public intellectuals of the twentieth century, spent a lifetime pondering that question. In his revelatory book The American, Boorstin's son Jon, a novelist and Oscar-nominated filmmaker, probes this question to tell the biographical story his father never told: a chronicle of family, racial conflict, and immigrant Jewish life in twentieth-century America.

Why did Boorstin--the 1974 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Americans: The Democratic Experience--write so little about himself? To answer that question, Jon Boorstin reaches back to the beginning of the 20th century and introduces readers to his immigrant grandfather, would-be southern gentleman Sam Boorstin, the youngest lawyer in Georgia's history. When Sam's good friend Leo Frank was lynched in a notorious antisemitic incident, Sam moved his family to boomtown Tulsa, where Daniel was raised in the shadow of the infamous Tulsa Massacre of 1921. With sympathy tempered by a contemporary sensibility, Jon Boorstin shows how Sam's response to these events shaped Daniel's trademark optimism. Jon also explores his father's enduring friendship with the distinguished Black historian John Hope Franklin, a fellow Tulsan, both unwavering proponents of the American Dream in the face of extraordinary prejudice.

Part biography, part family history, and a crucial extension of his father's work, Jon Boorstin illuminates what we might learn from what was left out and how, during another challenging time for America, we may renew our own faith in the future.

Author: Jon Boorstin
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 08/01/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.89lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.46w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9780820377070

About the Author
JON BOORSTIN is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and the author of The Newsboys' Lodging-House; or The Confessions of William James, winner of the New York Society Library Award for Historical Fiction. He lives and writes in Los Angeles. Visit jonboorstin.com for more information.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review