History Wars
The Enola Gay and Other Battles for the American Past
ISBN10: 080504387X
ISBN13: 9780805043877
Trade Paperback
304 Pages
$21.99
CA$30.99
From the "taming of the West" to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the portrayal of the past has become a battleground at the heart of American politics. What kind of history Americans should read, see, or fund is no longer merely a matter of professional interest to teachers, historians, and museum curators. Everywhere now, history is increasingly being held hostage, but to what end and why? In History Wars, eight prominent historians consider the angry swirl of emotions that now surrounds public memory. Included are trenchant essays by Paul Boyer, John W. Dower, Tom Engelhardt, Richard H. Kohn, Edward Linenthal, Michael S. Sherry, Marilyn B. Young, and Mike Wallace.
Reviews
Praise for History Wars
"This informative and compelling volume offers an object lesson in why the past remains so controversial and why censorship—by Congress, pressure groups, or museum officials—is the worst possible response to honest differences of opinion about the public presentation of history."—Eric Foner, Columbia University
"A stimulating and revelatory work."—Studs Terkel
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
History Wars
1
ANATOMY OF A CONTROVERSY
EDWARD T. LINENTHAL
When, in the fall of 1993, Martin Harwit, director of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), asked...