Description
Book SynopsisHow and why Americans have memorialized—or not—the sites of tragic and violent events spanning three centuries of history and every region of the country.
Trade ReviewFrom reviews of the first edition: "This splendid, well-written, amply documented volume is remarkable in several respects, including the fact that, despite being the first extended treatment of its subject, it is likely to remain the definitive one." Professional Geographer "A fascinating look at the American obsession with historically violent and tragic places." Western Historical Quarterly "Attitudes, values, beliefs, and experiences all play a part in the national collective unconscious that leads some sites to be sanctified, others to be obliterated, and still others to be ignored. Foote provides a valuable perspective on this process in a well-written and thoroughly illustrated book that offers a provocative theoretical perspective on the imprinting of historical memory on the American landscape." Public Historian "[This] is an erudite history and description of how Americans have, or have not, interpreted/recognized the meaning of violent and tragic events throughout their history." Space and Culture
Table of Contents
- A Landscape of Violence and Tragedy
- The Veneration of Heroes and Martyrs
- Community and Catharsis
- Heroic Lessons
- Innocent Places
- The Mark of Shame
- The Land-Shape of Memory ancl Tradition
- Stigmata of National Identity
- Invisible and Shadowed Pasts
- Afterword
- Notes
- Index
