The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts by Reitman, Janet
The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts by Reitman, Janet

The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts

A stunning work of narrative nonfiction that traces the lives of nine Americans over three decades, offering...
$38.40 USD
$38.40 USD
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Author: Janet Reitman
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $38.40
The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts by Reitman, Janet

The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts

$38.40
The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts by Reitman, Janet

The Inheritance: An American Tragedy in Five Acts

$38.40
Author: Janet Reitman
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description
A stunning work of narrative nonfiction that traces the lives of nine Americans over three decades, offering a vivid account of a nation in crisis--from award-winning New York Times Magazine writer Janet Reitman

A thrill-seeking former Navy pilot chases adventure in Afghanistan, while in suburbia, his teenage son spirals into extremism. The grandson of African freedom fighters joins the FBI to save America from terrorism and ends up terrorizing the African immigrants he'd sworn to protect. A young Marine who sees himself as a true-blue American goes to war in Iraq, comes home broken, and is reborn as white nationalist. An idealistic young attorney defends a Palestinian engineer she believes is wrongly accused of funding Hamas. These four people, and five others, struggle to find their way in a country reimagining itself in the wake of 9/11.

In The Inheritance, Janet Reitman, the bestselling author of Inside Scientology, delivers an intimate and urgent account of American disillusionment--and a paean to hope. From the bucolic suburbs of Boston to the immigrant enclaves of Dallas, from the deserts of Iraq to the encrypted chatrooms that fuel hatred and extremism, The Inheritance unfolds in repeating narratives of people moving through the decades, from the end of the Reagan era to the present day, painting a sweeping and deeply affective portrait of how a country revered for its democratic ideals became a nation defined by its fears.

Rigorously reported and brimming with novelistic detail, The Inheritance reveals the hidden cost of the war on terror, exposing the psychic wounds that haunt us to this day.

Author: Janet Reitman
Publisher: Random House
Published: 10/06/2026
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.37lbs
Size: 9.44h x 6.40w x 1.52d
ISBN: 9781984854728


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 09/01/2026

About the Author
Janet Reitman is an award-winning journalist and contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. Formerly a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, she has twice been a finalist for the National Magazine Award and was a fellow at the New America Foundation. Reitman's previous book, Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, was a national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book.
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