{"product_id":"most-american-notes-from-a-wounded-place-9780806157177","title":"Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place","description":"\u003cb\u003e2018 PEN America Literary Award Finalist \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In her first nonfiction collection, award-winning novelist Rilla Askew casts an unflinching eye on American history, both past and present. As she traverses a line between memoir and social commentary, Askew places herself--and indeed all Americans--in the role of witness to uncomfortable truths about who we are. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Through nine linked essays, \u003ci\u003eMost American: Notes from a Wounded Place\u003c\/i\u003e evokes a vivid impression of the United States: police violence and gun culture, ethnic cleansing and denied history, spellbinding landscapes and brutal weather. To render these conditions in the particulars of place, Askew spotlights the complex history of her home state. From the Trail of Tears to the Tulsa Race Riot to the Murrah Federal Building bombing, Oklahoma appears as a microcosm of our national saga. Yet no matter our location, Askew argues, we must own our contradictory selves--our violence and prejudices, as well as our hard work and generosity--so the wounds of division in our society can heal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In these writings, Askew traces a personal journey that begins with her early years as an idealistic teenager mired in what she calls \"the presumption of whiteness.\" Later she emerges as a writer humble enough to see her own story as part of a larger historical and cultural narrative. With grace and authority she speaks honestly about the failures of the dominant culture in which she grew up, even as she expresses a sense of love for its people. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the wake of increasing gun violence and heightened national debate about race relations and social inequality, Askew's reflections could not be more relevant. With a novelist's gift for storytelling, she paints a compelling portrait of a place and its people: resilient and ruthless, decent but self-deceiving, generous yet filled with prejudice--both the best and the worst of what it means to be American.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Oklahoma Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/08\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780806157177\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2017\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Rilla Askew","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36643972579484,"sku":"9780806157177","price":16.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_8c727690-4fda-4874-bcd9-59bc72f114d2.jpg?v=1603857654","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/most-american-notes-from-a-wounded-place-9780806157177","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}