Bag O' Books: THESE TRUTHS: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Three thoughts about THESE TRUTHS: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, by Jill Lepore:

* The book follows two streams of thought -- one that weighs, from the earliest moments of European settlement in the Americas, whether the United States has lived up to its creeds, and another that follows how various technical and media developments (the rise of newspapers, telegraphs, radios, television and the internet) have affected the evolution of our democracy. Long story short: We've fallen short a lot but also progressed -- though Lepore doesn't elide the falling short in order to put on a happy face. As for the technology: America has seen a lot of utopianism that never really panned out.

* It's good to read history during these crazy times. America has "been there, done that" with division and dissension so much over the centuries -- and not just during the Civil War. It's good to remember that we're not experiencing much that is new, that hasn't been experienced, by generations prior to our own.

* If the book has a flaw, it's in the last chapter or two as the timeline moves into the modern era, where Lepore's evident rage at current events shines through. It's not exclusively reserved for the right, as you might expect: She rails against campus hate speech codes and deplatforming, as exercises that go against the debate and free speech that are at the heart of a vital democracy. She didn't sign "The Letter," and this book came out well ahead of that, but it seems likely she is sympatico with its sentiments.