America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II)

From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom

William J. Bennett

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Year: 2008
• eBook ISBN: 9781418531102
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: History

Respected scholar William Bennett reacquaints America with its heritage in the second volume of America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II). This engaging narrative slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism.

While national test scores reveal that American students know startlingly little about their history, former U.S. Education Secretary William J. Bennett offers one of the most gripping and memorable versions of the American story in print. 

Bennett brings American history to life with stories such as:

• when Time magazine named Hitler man of the year
• Eisenhower's bold actions documenting the horrors of the Holocaust
• Nixon's comic opera uniforms for White House guards
• Reagan's most famous example of just saying "No"

 

From upheavals of the Great Depression and WWII to the civil rights reforms of the 1960s, from the high drama of the Space Race to the gut-wrenching tension of the Cold War, Bennett slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism.

Praise for America: The Last Best Hope

"This is the American history that Abraham Lincoln has long awaited."
-Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided

"Bennett has a gift for choosing the pithy, revealing anecdote and for providing fresh character sketches and critical analyses of the leading figures. This is an American history that adults will find refreshing and enlightening and that younger readers will find a darn good read."
-Michael Barone, US News & World Report

"A worthy and necessary book for our time."
-Michael J. Lewis, Commentary

"Bennett ... has a strong sense of narrative, a flair for anecdote and a lively style. And the American story really is a remarkable one, filled with its share of brilliant leaders and tragic mistakes. Bennett brings that story to life."
-Alan Wolfe, The Washington Post

"The role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation's triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom. Every now and then it's useful to be reminded that we are a fortunate people, blessed with generations of leaders who repeatedly renewed the meaning of America."
-Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

"The importance of America: The Last Best Hope probably exceeds anything Dr. Bennett has ever written, and it is more elegantly crafted and eminently readable than any comprehensive work of history I've read in a very long time. It's silly to compare great works of history to great novels, but this book truly is a page-turner."
-Brad Miner, American Compass

"This lively book acknowledges mistakes and shortcomings, yet patriotically asserts that the American experiment in democracy is still a success story."
-School Library Journal

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: America and the Great War (1914–1921)
• Chapter 2: The Boom and the Bust (1921–1933)
• Chapter 3: FDR and the New Deal (1933–1939)
• Chapter 4: America’s Rendezvous with Destiny (1939–1941)
• Chapter 5: Leading the Grand Alliance (1941–1943)
• Chapter 6: America Victorious (1943–1945)
• Chapter 7: Truman Defends the Free World (1945–1953)
• Chapter 8: Eisenhower and Happy Days (1953–1961)
• Chapter 9: Passing the Torch (1961–1969)
• Chapter 10: Nixon’s the One (1969–1974)
• Chapter 11: The Years the Locusts Ate (1974–1981)
• Chapter 12: Reagan and Revival (1981–1989)
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Index