Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America with Heather Cox Richardson
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Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America with Heather Cox Richardson
Professor of history and ‘Letters from an American’ author/podcaster Richardson discusses her new book.
Knight Center, Anheuser-Busch Dining Room |
In the midst of the 2019 impeachment crisis, history professor Heather Cox Richardson began writing a daily Facebook essay, providing historical context for the daily churn of news. It soon became a chart-topping Substack newsletter, Letters from an American, which now has over 2 million subscribers — passionate, dedicated readers who rely on Richardson’s plainspoken, insightful take on America, past and present, as a much-needed dose of sanity in today’s insane world.
In her compelling new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America (Viking), Richardson explains how a small group of wealthy people have made war on American ideals, leading us down a dangerous path to authoritarianism. By weaponizing language and promoting a false history, they have created a disaffected population and then promised to recreate an imagined past where those people could feel important again. Richardson argues that taking our country back starts by remembering the elements of the nation’s true history that marginalized Americans have always upheld — their dedication has sustained our democracy in the past and can be a road map for our future.
Virtual Book Club: ‘The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections’
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Virtual Book Club: ‘The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections’
Virtual - RSVP |
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she’s left to run things, she discovers that the library’s most prized manuscript is missing.
Book club will begin with a short presentation on real life special collections departments, followed by a discussion of the book.
For additional humanities-related events in the St. Louis area, check out the Humanities Broadsheet events calendar, published monthly by the Center for the Humanities.
