Description
Book SynopsisAt the centre of American history is a hole - a gap where some scholars’ indifference or disdain has too long stood in for the true story of the American Midwest. A first-ever chronicle of the Midwest’s formative century,
The Good Country restores this American heartland to its central place in the nation’s history.
Trade Review“Of the myriad American diversities—racial, ethnic, religious, lifestyle—one is often neglected: the durable diversity of the nation’s regions. Jon K. Lauck redresses this imbalance by restoring the middle of the nation to its proper place in the middle of the national story. You do not need to be a Midwest chauvinist—I, a son of Central Illinois, am one—to appreciate his appreciation of this region’s nation-shaping role, and between 1861 and 1865 its nation-saving role.”—George F. Will
“Lauck’s full-throated celebration of America’s democratic traditions is an invitation to today’s most important debate.”—John Mack Faragher, author of
California: An American History“I know of no historian who has done such a superb job chronicling and framing the history of the American Midwest than Jon Lauck.” —Gregory L. Schneider, author of
Rock Island Requiem: The Collapse of a Mighty Fine Line“In this detailed examination of 19th-century social history from Ohio westward to Nebraska, Lauck presents an impassioned defense of the American Midwest against its critics, marshaling a formidable set of historical and cultural data that future critics will not be able to ignore.”—
Omaha World Herald"Well-researched and provocative."—
The Washington Post“…the breadth and depth of Lauck’s research, and the amplitude of his footnotes, are all the defenses this book needs; I would recommend it as one of the first books of Midwest history a person might read.” – Phil Christman,
The New Republic
