In November 2008 America will elect a new president. It’s an historical turning point, and a moment of intense self-examination for the nation as a whole, as we are forced to confront the trajectory of our history; how our country came to find itself in multiple crises and how an America that began as “the last best hope for mankind” came to be so suspected and disliked around much of the world. The American Future: A History takes the long view of how the United States has come to this anguished moment of truth about its own identity as a nation and its place in the world. In each of the chapters devoted to the most compelling issues facing Americans now—from race to religion—Schama traces the deep history of the present crisis. Historically, the US has shown an extraordinary capacity to renew and rebuild when seemingly overwhelmed by disaster. As in 1932 and 1976, 2008 is a year when the fate of America, and by extension the world, will hang in the balance.