Promised Land

Categories: Nonfiction

Jay Parini is mainly known as a poet and novelist, but in Promised Land:  Thirteen Books That Changed America he veers into non-fiction.  Thirteen books chosen from hundreds that shaped our national identity, Parini's list offers an inciteful and thoughtful view of the significance of books on our culture.  Whether inciting the nation to war in Uncle Tom's Cabin, introducing the modern American novel in Huck Finn, or launching the women's movement with Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, books maintain an enduring power to change minds and hearts. 

Parini appends a list of the hundred books he didn't  select for his discussion and his annotations are equally as thoughtful as the analysis of his baker's dozen in the body of the book.  A perfect catalyst for a new look at American history, literature and culture.