Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America

I originally picked this book up to hear what Mr. Parini had to say about Ben Franklin's autobiography. I teach it in my high school AP classes, so I wanted to see if I could get fresh insight on the book. Of course, I am writing this review because I found much more than an insightful discussion of Franklin's autobiography. Like all great books, this one builds on itself chapter by chapter, drawing lines of force between all of the books, painting American Literature as a centuries-long conversation. By the time Parini writes about Kerouac's On the Road, he is drawing parallels between most of the books that he has discussed before, including Walden, The Promised Land, and Huck Finn, and he is doing so in a strong, formal prose that also invites the casual reader. Parini is, after all, a poet. Some may quibble with the 13 books he chooses, but these particular books, put in chronological order, allow Parini (to paraphrase a line from Parini himself in the book) to do more than tell a picaresque story; it allows him to deliver a narrative, a plot, with one book necessarily issuing as a new voice in a long conversation. I have read most of the 13 books included here, and what makes this book so powerful is Parini's ability to capture the tone and the impact of the books he discusses, even the ones that aren't "classics" in a literary sense. In fact, he does not simply choose books he likes; he displays condescension for "How to Win Friends and Influence People," while noting its powerful impact on him as a young man. I originally planned on having my students read the Franklin chapter, but I'm pretty sure now they'll be reading the whole thing. "The Promised Land" is intelligent, insightful, powerful, and, above all, engaging.

When I first picked up "Promised Land," I must admit I feared I may be embarking on another dry survey of American Literature; that or a greatest hits collection that simply retold great American novels the likes of Gatsby and Moby Dick, incredible as they are. Instead, I found myself pleasantly surprised. By no means obscure, Promised Land does an superb job of including canonized classics like Uncle Tom's Cabin and Walden alongside the less expected Dr. Spock and Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Parini is a master at keeping his writing accessible to all readers, and despite the work's academic-sounding title, Parini's prose are light and highly insightful, resulting in a quick and enthralling read. His deep knowledge of his subject and colorful, one-of-a-kind anecdotes keep the pages turning throughout. In the end, Parini produces a book suited for anyone who has ever marveled at an American novel or pondered what it means for literature to be American. Whether you have studied these works at length or have just read one or two back in high school, you will be amazed and touched by Parini's diligence and the careful consideration that went into crafting the Promised Land.

Is it possible to winnow down all the great books that have been written in --- and about --- America to a baker's dozen? Jay Parini thinks so and offers PROMISED LANED as proof. Parini --- a poet, novelist, biographer and professor at Middlebury College in Vermont --- selects his choices dating back to William Bradford's HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION and ending with Betty Friedan's THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE. He defines his selection process as including books "that helped to create the intellectual and emotional contours of this country. Each played a significant role in developing a complex value system that flourishes to this day." The other 11 titles feature a combination of novels and nonfiction, (relatively) light reading and much more serious fare: THE FEDERALIST PAPERS by Alexander Hamilton, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, THE JOURNALS OF LEWIS AND CLARK, WALDEN, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain's THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK by W. E. B. Du Bois, THE PROMISED LAND by Mary Antin, Dale Carnegie's HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, THE COMMON SENSE BOOK OF BABY AND CHILD CARE by Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Jack Kerouac's ON THE ROAD. Each analysis consists of a brief biographical look at the author and an in-depth examination of the book and its impact on American society. Parini also shows how each volume has held up; sensibilities during the time each was printed have greatly changed over the generations, but they still pack a punch. Parini actually embraces the discomfort one might find in discussing certain themes, such as the treatment of African-Americans in Dubois's SOULS OF THE BLACK FOLK or THE PROMISED LAND, a novel about the struggles of Jewish immigrants to adjust to life in a new homeland. The content of these books are connected, Parini insists. One common theme is the struggle to survive and thrive, be it as a colonial state: "One learns a lot about America by looking at these texts closely --- and the texts that swirl around them," he writes, freely admitting that his choices are quite personal. A book like this is designed to engender discussion. Why this book and not that? As widely-read as it has been, does Carnegie's masterwork --- ostensibly the first "self-help" book --- merit consideration as one of the elite that "changed America"? Or Spock's book on child care? Surely there are others better suited for inclusion. Fear not, for Parini offers another hundred titles of similar significance, any one of which the reader might want to substitute for the 13 finalists. --- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

I usually avoid books like this one but knowing Parini's previous works and having been impressed by his Why Poetry Matters I bought a copy just to sit once again in his classroom between book covers. Some of his choices surprised me: Dr. Spock? Dale Carnegie? Betty Friedan? But as the subtitle and introduction reminded me, this is not a survey of the best American literature but an analysis of the books that had the most impact on our unique character. With this in mind I found that his choices make perfect sense. This is a book I could not put down once picked up; Parini's writing style is such that he creates a slight tension between chapters and one wants to read on to find out what happens next. Very rare in a work of nonfiction. It looks like our country is entering a time when intellect will once again matter, when we will have a president who actually reads fine books from cover to cover and when we just might resuscitate an almost comatose curiosity in our American heritage. Parini's Promised Land, without pomposity and flag-waving, can do a lot to restore some honest pride in who we were and how we became who we are. I have a twenty-year-old nephew who without any trace of shame boasts that he made it through public school and two years of junior college without ever once reading an entire book. I am giving him Promised Land for Christmas; I am that sure Parini will get through to him in ways his previous teachers could or would not.

I used to say that if I could give only ONE book to my daughter or son as s/he went off to Yale it would be Bartlett's Familiar Quotations because it gives the lay of the human landscape throughout history. I have changed my mind: It would NOW be Parini's The Promised Land because it gives the landscape of the human condition through the lay of our literary land. What a wonderful read it is. (I may do it twice!). The chapter on Thoreau is lyrically beautiful. And I had precisely the same experience with Dale Carnegie that Parini had:conversion, then revulsion! I couldn't put the book down---it helped me tie up all the loose ends and fill in all the missing links of my four college degrees (two of them in literature!) I give it a definite FIVE STAR and may buy it as a holiday gift for others --------to help the economy. Paul D. Keane White River Junction, VT