The Nervous Liberals: Propaganda Anxieties from World War I to the Cold War Book

Alistair Cooke, is the Brit who traded for American early in his career. From that point he became a keen observer of his adopted country. This is a "diary" of journeys taken as the USA enters into World War Two. As with all journeys, it is as much about time as it is about place.

It didn't take more than 20-30 pages into the book for me to realize how well Cooke had nailed down this fleeting period of Americana. He is mostly careful to avoid generalizations but he is concious of two fateful things that have blessed his effort. One, he is in Washington, D.C., at the moment of great challenge when Pearl Harbor is bombed; and, two, he is uniquely positioned "on this side of the pond" to explain America and Americans to his British audience. He seizes the moment (and continues to do so for another 50+ years with his great series, Letter to America).

He is aware of other foreigners who have attempted to take the measure of America, from de Toqueville on down, but he gets in his car and drives and writes his impressions. Is it "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose?" Perhaps, in the sense that some elements of American character change slowly at best. But, that isn't the point of Cooke's observations. His fresh eye, his determination to take small bites, and his openness to his adopted country are all fundamental to this work.

Sometimes a picture is better than 1000 words, and sometimes you need the words. Cooke is a wonderful example of the latter as he goes far in proving (to coin a phrase) "all America is local." This is the kind of history that needs to be read/discussed before college, yet the "civics" course that this book would most easily fit into is no longer part of the curriculum. Such a shame.