Commentary, Politics and Current Events

Free e-book for July from the University of Chicago Press!

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This month’s free e-book: Making Patriots by Walter Berns—a pithy and provocative essay that attempts to answer the question of how patriotism has flourished throughout America’s history, despite the culture’s veneration of individualism and self-interest.
After expertly and intelligibly guiding the reader through the history and philosophy of patriotism in a republic—from the ancient Greeks through contemporary life—Berns locates the best answer in the thought and words of Abraham Lincoln, who Berns claims understood better than anyone what the principles of democracy meant and what price adhering to them may exact. The graves at Arlington and Gettysburg and Omaha Beach in Normandy bear witness to the fact that self-interested individuals can become patriots, and Making Patriots is a compelling exploration of how this was done and how it might be again.
Download the complete e-book for free during the month of July or try a sample first with this excerpt.