{"product_id":"9781250159687","title":"The True Flag : Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe True Flag\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Stephen Kinzer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eOverthrow \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Brothers \u003c\/i\u003ebrings to life the forgotten political debate that set America’s interventionist course in the world for the twentieth century and beyond.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow should the United States act in the world? Americans cannot decide. Sometimes we burn with righteous anger, launching foreign wars and deposing governments. Then we retreat—until the cycle begins again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e No matter how often we debate this question, none of what we say is original. Every argument is a pale shadow of the first and greatest debate, which erupted more than a century ago. Its themes resurface every time Americans argue whether to intervene in a foreign country. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Revealing a piece of forgotten history, Stephen Kinzer transports us to the dawn of the twentieth century, when the United States first found itself with the chance to dominate faraway lands. That prospect thrilled some Americans. It horrified others. Their debate gripped the nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The country’s best-known political and intellectual leaders took sides. Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst pushed for imperial expansion; Mark Twain, Booker T. Washington, and Andrew Carnegie preached restraint. Only once before—in the period when the United States was founded—have so many brilliant Americans so eloquently debated a question so fraught with meaning for all humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e All Americans, regardless of political perspective, can take inspiration from the titans who faced off in this epic confrontation. Their words are amazingly current. Every argument over America’s role in the world grows from this one. It all starts in \u003ci\u003eThe True Flag\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"One could not ask for a timelier argument...Kinzer is right: the first debate over American empire at the end of the nineteenth century speaks to our own time.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A well-researched account, which also gestures toward subsequent U.S. interventions\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"lively and very readable reconstruction of one of American history's most consequential debates....What's striking now is how much this century-old debate mirrors contemporary issues and positions\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDallas \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Important and lucid...Kinzer is an incisive historian of American foreign policy.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[A] gripping narrative . . . Kinzer ably conveys the passion and ferment of this brief period, situating this grand debate in the context of U.S. foreign policy history and convincingly arguing that the imperial\/anti-imperial dichotomy remains a dominant feature of the American psyche.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this engaging, well-focused history…Kinzer astutely brings the debate [over American imperialism] from the turn of the century to the present. A tremendously elucidating book that should be required reading for civics courses.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This straight-forward treatment of America’s struggle to define its international posture is essential for readers at all levels as we continue this debate and wonder, ‘Why don’t they like us?’”—\u003cb\u003eLibrary Journal (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Stephen Kinzer’s \u003ci\u003eThe True Flag\u003c\/i\u003e is a marvelous and timely look at the rise of American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. All the big power players of the era – Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain among them – are analyzed cogently as intellectuals of great merit.  An outstanding book!”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eDouglas Brinkley\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eRightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America\u003c\/i\u003e and professor of history, Rice University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Even in the pages of a novel, it would be impossible to find more extraordinary characters than Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. That these two men locked horns over one of the most fundamental issues facing a young nation is a stunning turn of events, one that Stephen Kinzer, through meticulous research and masterful writing, has turned into a fascinating, fast-paced narrative.” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eCandice Millard\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe River of Doubt\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDestiny of the Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHero of the Empire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“At a moment when Americans are hotly debating their country’s role in the world, Stephen Kinzer takes us back to the origins of the modern debate. His account of the battle between imperialists and anti-imperialists at the end of the nineteenth century is riveting, uplifting, dismaying—and as timely as can be.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eH. W. Brands\u003c\/b\u003e, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and author of \u003ci\u003eThe General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eThe True Flag\u003c\/i\u003e, Stephen Kinzer gives us much more than the story of the birth of American dominion. He shows why we Americans were attracted to empire, how we have nurtured it to maturity, and what our choices are now. I thank him for helping me better understand how America acts in the world today.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eJames Bradley\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eFlags of Our Fathers\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Imperial Cruise\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe China Mirage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Stephen Kinzer’s lively and incisive history takes us back more than a century to a fateful turning point: the moment when the United States first assumed the right to overthrow or build up regimes in distant parts of the globe. I hope American leaders will read this book and think long and hard about the warning it sounds.\" —\u003cb\u003eAdam Hochschild\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eSpain in Our Hearts\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKing Leopold’s Ghost\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250159687\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"St. Martin's Griffin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40673500201166,"sku":"9781250159687","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_33e2f8ad-1535-4292-bd5c-9382368cbc6f.jpg?v=1639886068","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250159687","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}