This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History

by Beverly Gage

Pulitzer Prize–winning author of G-Man and notable historian Beverly Gage goes on the ultimate road trip to explore thirteen key places in American history that explain our past and help us envision our future.

Two and a half centuries out from the US founding, the question of what it means to be an American is as fraught as ever. Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage brings the highs and lows of our past alive on a road trip through the American past.

This Land is Your Land visits thirteen places and thirteen key moments in American history to explore how we commemorate our national past and consider the future of our union. In this book, Gage hits the road to explore the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, monuments, living-history pageants, battlefield reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans so often go to learn—and fight—about our past. This Land is Your Land is for everyone who wants to find US history—to experience it and confront it, to celebrate it and condemn it—in the places where it happened.

From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia and on the Virginia plantations to the rise of the Cold War Southwest and the advent of Disneyland, here is the story of America’s successes and failures, along with the endless controversies over how we remember ourselves. The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document that proclaimed the liberty and equality of all human beings, but yielded a country often riddled with conflict and injustice. This Land is Your Land is an invitation to explore and reflect on our deep national tensions—to understand where we are as a country by traveling through our inspiring, disturbing, and maddening past rather than turning away from it.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, Audiobook, American History, Nature, Historical

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed taking a fascinating, historical trip across the country with Beverly Gage. Traveling to sites dating back to 1776, I discovered many interesting and unusual facts, and especially liked learning about the Carousel of Progress. The audiobook is well narrated by Gabra Zackman, with an introduction provided by the author herself.

[Kaya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really am quite sick of books like this that vilify every aspect of the founding of America. I don’t think Gage said a single positive thing about any of the first 10 presidents of the United States of America throughout this book, instead choosing to blame each and every one of them for not single-handedly ending all of slavery in America. She also found a way to somehow vilify even Union generals during the Civil War, and derided Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass for fleeing in fear of reprisal for association and not standing in solidarity with John Brown after he hacked 5 people to death.

She also disparaged almost every single museum, historic site, and attraction that she touches on, from describing Independence Hall as being small and surrounded by fences and security, to frequently saying “the US Park Service did their best, but…”, to only talking about the Museum of the American Revolution from the viewpoint of making fun of the George Washington’s Headquarters Tent exhibit, to making fun of a tour guides name badge and calling him “Volunteer” throughout the chapter, to calling the idea of the American West “one of the greatest myth-making machines in US History”, to spending a significant amount of time chastising all of Nashville, and greater Tennessee, for not fully denouncing Andrew Jackson and removing all tributes to him. I think she said nicer things about the strip malls in “Delco” PA than any of the museums, historic sites, and attractions that this book is supposedly based on.

Her retelling of the Battle of Little Big Horn has to be the most un-American thing I’ve ever heard, calling Buffalo Bill Cody a “lowly US cavalry scout”, General Custer a “ladder climbing general” and Custer‘s wife Libby “a widow attempting to make her husband an American hero”. If I was one of these historical sites that opened my doors to Gage for the research of this book, I would feel deeply hurt by how much she belittles, disparages, and minimizes the efforts of historians and thousands of volunteers who donate their time and effort to help preserve our country’s history.

I purchased this book excited to go on a roadtrip of my country, and as someone who would kill to have Gage’s opportunity to travel to all these sites (let alone get paid for it), especially during our 250th year, which Gage is clearly piggyback this book’s marketing off of. Instead, I find another example of a historian whose sole premise is to make us feel bad for being American and expect us to apologize for things that happened 250 years ago. I was highly disheartened to see Gage attempt to hijack America’s 250th birthday for her own woke narrative, and vilify the country that has given her the very rights and freedoms to freely profit from doing so.

Instead of buying this book, I wish I could visit every historical site and museum she speaks negatively about (which is virtually all of them) and give them my money instead.

[Dr. Alan Albarran · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster publishers, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review an ARC of this book.

I had read the author's Pulitzer-winning bio on J. Edgar Hoover a couple of years ago, and was curious to read this book. As a lover of history I was intrigued to have the opportunity to review.

While the writing is good, and some of the stories of places the author visited are interesting, I don't agree with a lot of her statements about the US being as "big and cruel" and our flag as being a "symbol of aggression." Very disappointing. Gage wants us all to feel bad about our country's treatment of Native Americans, African Americans, and any other group she feels were wronged.

That's her opinion and that's fine. But you can't erase history and it is that history that has made America the strongest nation in the world. We are not a perfect nation by any means, but it is what it is. Too bad this book didn't get the objective assessment of the Hoover biography.

I give the book 3/5 stars.

[Samantha Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC

It’s hard at this point to feel any sort of positive feelings through the United States in this time. But as the thesis of this book makes clear This land is your(my) land and it’s our land. This trip through history via Gage’s road trips makes you see how complicated and interesting our history can be. I find it fascinating to look at how some of our historical sites have had their own history of reconciling its original view of an event with a more accurate historical view. (examples being Mount Vernon/ Little Bighorn etc.)

Due to the nature of the book this is not an intensive look at these events rather a more surface level review. But I think it’s a great starting point as there are figures, locations I want to investigate further after reading. It can be funny especially when you hear some of her travel mishaps and surprise mention of a performer who I’ll keep undisclosed for now. But it can also leave you wrought especially in the locations of South regarding civil rights and the beginnings of the Trail of Tears.

I encourage people to read this or at the very least go out and participate in going to your local historical sites and bring our history for its good and bad into your life.

[Avid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and educational. Gage strikes a great balance while reflecting on the historical tales connected to various locales on her road trip: a tone that is part narrative, part informative, providing meaningful background while describing her experiences at each site. And just enough humor and anecdote to increase palatability while still respecting historical significance. Loved it!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yale historian Beverly Gage takes to the road to discover afresh the history of America just in time for 2026's Semiquincentennial Celebration. I was taught, in the sixties, American history as a story of a country with high ideals, a place that was always improving and making things better for all people. As an adult, I learned that the American history I was taught had been homogenized, that the American history I was taught was really a history of white men and their attempts to take over lands of others, a history of the exclusion of women and people of color, and a history of the wars that often emerged from the conflicts. Gage reconciles both of these few views, the overly-sweet and the bitterly-cruel, and takes a new look at some of the most well known events from American history by visiting the site of the events and researching the events and sharing both the good and bad of the past with a mind to move forward into an American future that is a manifestation of the beliefs and ideals that first brought America into fruition.

[Rebecca C · Rating 1 out of 5]

A missed opportunity. Bottom line up front: a huge disappointment. I saw this book advertised in one of the airports I passed through while making a cross country trip. I love roadtrips, I love people, I like history….but I don’t love when folks isolate themselves with their own opinion.

This book was a great opportunity to share history but also make an emotional connection to the many history sites the author visited. But - she doesn’t really talk to the people she met along the way. I’m not sure she spoke with many others along her journey. (Or if she did, their stories and personalities are absent from the book.) It’s a retelling of history facts, much of it dry as if read directly from an old school history book. She does weave in many of her personal opinions for what little personal touch is written.

If you are far left, you’ll be validated. If you’re far right, you’ll discredit the facts she does offer because the personal commentary has an edge of judgment and stereotypes. For those of us in the middle of the political spectrum? You’ll be disappointed because she missed the opportunity for connection across demographics. It felt divisive to me, rather than inspiring growth and unity.

Has a touch of privilege, being raised by educated parents and not perhaps experiencing people very different from her. Not any museums dedicated to labor in our country? Oh my. You didn’t make a stop in West Virginia. Check out the Expedition Coal Mine in Beckley, WV, or the Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, WV, showcasing The Battle of Blair Mtn - the largest labor uprising in America. But, you know, almost kinda glad she didn’t visit those as I’m not sure I could have managed her judgement of the locals.

Strong prediction the author is not fun at parties. 🤷‍♀️

An Audible credit not well spent for this month.

Save your credit, save your money and time, and invest in visiting a local historical site near you and talking with your neighbors…especially the ones that are different from you.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Land is your land and this land is my land
From the California to the New York island
From the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for your and me.

As I went a-walkin’ that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
Saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me. — WOODY GUTHRIE.

This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Pulitzer-prize winning historian Beverly Gage is an engaging travelogue of the some of the key locations in our country as we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States. While the author chooses thirteen different locations and geographical sites throughout the United States to highlight important historical and political ties to our country and its evolution in each location with each place a time in history. Her stops range from Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the Civil Rights Trail in the South to the Manzanar War Relocation Center, the secret and closed city of Los Alamos and ultimately in Disneyland as she hopscotched all over the country.

Beverly Gage teaches American history at Yale and has assembled a very thoughtful book as we delve into our history as we approach America’s 250th anniversary in a time of division and adversity in our country, perhaps unrivaled in recent times. It is through Gage’s interesting stories in these different historical locations throughout the United States as one can ponder the forces that have been dealt with throughout our tumultuous history. I would like to close with the words of Beverly Gage should we choose to embark on our own travels:

“Over the course of your travels, you’ll make some of your own history. Maybe you’ll even remake America. Woody Guthrie got it right when he said that this land is your land, from California to the New York island, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters. But he knew that it wasn’t just yours, or even mine; it’s our land too. Whether we like it or not—this big, cruel and transcendent country of ours—we’re in it together. Let’s make of it what we can.”

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw the author interviewed by David Reubenstein and was hopeful that it would make for a nice audiobook for the car.
Nope…a true blue Yale professor, she must be required by law Code to find something for us to regret in almost every stop in her discovery of America. Atlanta? Let’s talk about the World of Coca Cola and be sure to point out its original cocaine content and its contribution to Fat America…..oh, Stone Mountain? A now almost irrelevant tourist site for most of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Atlanta every year. But spend lots of words explaining the horrors.

New Mexico….did we hear about cliff dwellings, or Taos or Santa Fe. Nope…Los Alamos. And you can imagine why.

Racism everywhere, Japanese internment, AMERICA not living up to its promise. I get we need balance in our history knowledge. But this book was DOUR. And I really don’t think the author realizes it.

Every country , people, history and individual has some shortcomings. This woman would make a day at Hershey Park (which she didn’t visit) be a reason for reflection and balance and a history of shortcomings

Kill me now.

[Bree Doby · Rating 3 out of 5]

gage packs a lot into a short(ish) amount of pages—spanning from the revolutionary war to essentially present day. expect a wide breadth & not a ton of depth, in the sense that she’s covering 200+ years in 350 pages. definitely think the history buffs/history curious could get a lot out of this, but i did find myself dragging thru some of this.

i wish i had the maps that look like will be a part of the official published book!!

thank you netgalley & simon and shuster for the arc!!!

[Bruce Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5


“What’s strange about our own moment,” author Beverly Gage writes, “is not that we can’t agree on our history—that’s always been the case—but that so many people seem to object to the idea that Americans have a common history at all.”

There’s an obvious poignancy in this question now, as debates about history play out in schools, libraries, museums, and elsewhere. The battle over American history is being waged everywhere, most especially in the highest places of government. As our country makes its fraught and embattled way to the 250th anniversary of its declaring independence from England, fundamental questions are being asked — not always wisely or calmly — about what the United States is: what is its character, how does it see itself, upon what foundation has it been built. And perhaps most importantly, exactly what is it that we’ll be celebrating this July Fourth?

Gage is a history professor at Yale University. Her 2002 book “G-Man,” a biography of J. Edgar Hoover, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. In “This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History,” she enters the cultural battles over history in a decidedly un-professorial manner. She drives away from archives and libraries and university lecture halls, and looks at America’s past as most American actually encounter it — in museums, historical sites and battlefields, parks, souvenir shops, and roadside attractions. In short, on road trips. Her research for the book took her to more than 300 historic sites.

In “This Land is Your Land” (a nod to Woody Guthrie’s song) she takes us to thirteen. Among them: Mount Vernon, Monticello, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Little Big Horn, Henry Ford’s Detroit, Los Alamos, Manzanar in California (site of the interment camp where Japanese Americans were held in World War 2), Fort Sumter, and others.

Each chapter begins with a single individual, some very well-known (George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Davey Crockett, Walt Disney). From here Gage writes about that person, his or her life, the historical contexts, the many challenges — scholarly, political, cultural — that each site poses: what should be presented at the site, how should it be talked about, what should be included and what left out. (Early in the book, Gage looks back at a field trip she took in the seventh grade to “Colonial Williamsburg, the country’s largest outdoor living-history museum, where we apparently learned nothing about slavery.”)

Rather than continue with my summary, I’ll share some excerpts that capture the feel of Professor Gage’s road trip.

• The one must-see historic site in Charleston remains Fort Sumter, still out there in the harbor. And one of the first things you encounter, upon entering the mainland visitor center, is a gigantic American flag. In my road-trip experiences, the sighting of a huge American flag generally means there is a car dealership nearby.

• During the 1950s, Vegas sold itself as America’s “Atomic City,” where visitors could watch a nuclear explosion firsthand. (I’m guessing the experience would have been, um, memorable.) Not content with just learning about the missile silos, Gage spent a night in one that had been converted into an Airbnb.

• On the day I visited, Hull House was offering one-hour nap appointments in Jane Addams’s bed for one of our 21st-century versions of the precariat: the exhausted, overworked college student.

• …the National Confederate Museum is no musty, relic-strewn antiquarian society. It is a direct intervention in today’s debates over Civil War memory. displays narrate the Civil War from a neo-Confederate perspective, in which slaves “had a higher standard of living” than industrial workers, the war was fought to defend Southern honor, and the Confederacy was a model of multiethnic “diversity.”

• Graball Landing [where it is thought Emmitt Till’s corpse was found in 1955] is just not the sort of place you’d stumble on accidentally. This matters because people have gone there in recent years to desecrate the Till marker. The first sign, we learn, went up in 2008. On the eve of Barak Obama’s election someone tore it down.“By the time [a replacement sign] was taken down in 2016, it had more than three hundred bullet holes. A third sign, installed in 2019, was there for just thirty-five days when someone shot it up again.” Today the marker is made of mental and weighs nearly 500 pounds… and is bullet-proof.

In the end, Gage came away from her road trip with mixed feelings. On one hand, it was, she said, reassuring to be reminded that the country has made it through perilous times before. And on the other: “Personally, I’m nervous about the celebrations that are likely to come down from on high, since the powers that be in Washington seem as interested in suppressing history as in understanding it.”

Over all I found the book somewhat uneven but generally engaging and filled with interesting anecdotes and history.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

[Adrian Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of this book is really interesting and Beverly Gage's background as a historian sets her up really well to narrate her road trip and give readers the necessary background and connect why these 13 sites are important to the present day.

I think this book is a great way to celebrate the USA's 250th birthday. In 2026, it's difficult for many of us to be proud to be American. I love the diversity of culture and the beautiful changing landscapes, and so much more, but the past (and many times present) is always lurking in the back of my mind.

I think Gage finds a great balance between being proud of the achievements and freedom fought by those that came before us as well as confronting the systemic issues that have been perpetrated for literal centuries.

[Susan Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this, I want to hop in my car to visit some of these sites, and others around the country. This has gotten some negative reviews due to Gage’s perspective on our country’s troubled history, but we need to learn it, reflect, & grow from it. “All the more reason to approach the semiquin not just as a birthday party for the Declaration of Independence, but as a chance to think about where we are as a country and where we might want to go” - I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. And I added many more books to my to-read list from her detailed recommended reading section.

[Ted Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating for this well written, engaging and personal book is based mainly on two things: 1. It contains a wealth of interesting stories about American history and 2. These stories were gathered during a series of automobile trips by the author. Ever since the book "Blue Highways" was published over 45 years ago, I have really been drawn to books about journeys, and in the case of Gage's journeys they involved her attempt to try to make sense of the nation, its past, and how its past has been presented. She organizes the chapters of the book based on the chronology of the history that she encountered, not the chronology of her trips. (For instance, her first chapter is about a series of American Revolution sites, which were not necessarily the first places she visited.) I appreciated her sensibilities about the nation's history, as well as her sense of humor and her willingness to venture into circumstances, often on her own, where others might not have felt entirely comfortable. And I must say that, as a Western New Yorker, I REALLY liked how she gushed about the history she found out about in my neck of the woods (Rochester). Up here we tend to take for granted our important history: Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, the Second Great Awakening, Seneca Falls, etc. But when she wrote that she believes that the history of this region was more significant than what she found at the Alamo or Philadelphia, more than a bit of Western New York pride swelled inside me. The book is filled with quirky and under appreciated stories, which I like. I knew that Dearborn, Michigan has the largest Muslim community and the largest mosque in the United States. After reading this book, now I know why (no spoiler here- read the book). It's not a book for everyone, but for the American History aficionados, or anyone planning a cross-country trip, this is a must read.

[Lauren M · Rating 4 out of 5]

One, this book really reminded me of how much I took growing up outside of Philadelphia for granted. Like, the author, I’m from the suburbs of Philly (she’s from Delco, I’m from Bucks) and like Gage, I spent my childhood visiting Revolutionary-era sites like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Valley Forge, etc. The town I’m from is small and not too well known even by people from the area so I usually explained its location as being “near Washington Crossing.” To non-locals, I clarified that with, “as in, Washington crossing the Delaware.” It wasn’t until I got older and met people who weren’t from the Northeast that I realized what a privilege it was for a kid who was interested in history to have so much of it on my doorstep, that I could actually go see the places I was learning about in my elementary school social studies classes.

Two, maybe it was the title and maybe it was the cover illustration but I really expected this to be more about the national parks, rather than the national historic sites and monuments managed by the NPS. So that was a little disappointing but I guess that’s on me.

Three, and on a similar note, but where I don’t think it was my possible misreading, this book is billed as being “the ultimate road trip to explore thirteen key places in American history.” About a decade ago I went on my own ultimate road trip across the USA, visiting about half of the states and countless National Parks, Monuments, etc. across those (and dutifully stamping my National Parks Passport). So this premise intrigued me, and I was a bit disappointed to find out that rather than one sprawling road trip the book actually follows a series of small road trips. Minor quibbles, but still, in a country as vast and sprawling as the United States the idea of a linked-up trip between these locations was part of the appeal.

In terms of content, this is a very accessible book and Beverly Gage is both a professor of history and American studies at Yale and a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer so she’s got the credentials, the knowledge, and the writing ability to make this an interesting read. Given its scope – 13 historic sites spanning 250 years over the course of ~350 pages — it is unsurprisingly a bit breadth-over-depth, so it probably depends on how many of the sites you have explored for yourself how intriguing you find it. Beginning with the chapter on Philadelphia I did not find myself immediately drawn in because, as I said above, I’ve been there, done that, many, many times over many, many years. However, the chapters on sites that I haven’t seen in person yet or spent more than a high school history class’s worth of time learning about were much more fascinating.

Unless you’re of the cult that somehow believes that any mention of American history that doesn’t laud it as eternally and unquestionably righteous is a smear (i.e. if you dare to mention slavery, the Trail of Tears, or any of the other myriad inequalities and injustices that litter our history), the idea of an “alternative” history of the United States isn’t going to be a new one (we’ve all read Zinn). But if your last engagement with American history was that high school class which may or may not have explored perspectives beyond those of the Founding Fathers and their ilk, this is a solid starting point to inspire a closer and more thorough look at some of the important sites in the nation’s existence.

[Lorraine Herbon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s 2:00 am, and I’ve just finished this book. I couldn’t put it down, even after assuring my people that I’d take it slowly. I’ve got a giant lump in my throat and tears in my eyes right now.

As I told my BFF Yvette, this woman sang the song of my people. Beverley Gage put into words so much of what I think and feel about American history. Throughout her road trip across U.S. history, she talked about the good and the bad, the bright spots and the darker moments. No piece of history was sugar-coated by her, even when she went to historic sites that did indeed sugar-coat the history.

I was reminded of two pieces of writing as I listened to this book. The first was the MLK quote about the arc of history bending toward justice. While our history is not one ceaseless march of progress, the arc does tend to bend in the right direction when looked at over the long run. It’s hard to see that now, as we are in a deeply disturbing retrograde period. But, taking in our whole history, we are slowly moving forward.

Second, I was reminded of Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act. Rick wrote about world travel as a means of deepening our understanding of the various peoples with whom we share this planet, thereby reaching toward a more peaceful and just world. He stressed the need to go to all types of places and to meet and listen to all kinds of people. In her own way, Gage does the same thing here with her road trip to both well-known (and well-funded) sites but also to those spots not as popular perhaps but that still have stories to tell. Her trip through the Civil Rights era offered examples, as when she visited the spot where Emmet Till’s body was dragged from the river and ignorant red neck fuckwits kept shooting up and destroying the commemorative marker. She wanted to be where the history happened, and I have that same desire.

She also counseled against letting the right-wing asshats hold the rest of us back from celebrating the nation’s 250th. Why cede the ground to these people? Why not celebrate the things worth celebrating? And there are a lot of things worth celebrating.

I’m gonna have to read/listen to this book again, especially the introduction and epilogue. They are both inspiring and thought-provoking.

Cannot recommend enough!!

[Beck Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gage takes us through 13 case studies of American history and explores the complex and sometimes upsetting moments in our past that have shaped the country we live in now. There was nothing wrong with this book, but I struggled to connect with it, and getting to the end felt like quite a process. All that being said, I think this is a great read for those who glorify American history or have a hard time coming to terms with the messy nature of America's colonial, slave-ridden, economically driven origins..

[Dawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic nonfiction. The road trip idea to visit historical sights is great & includes a well written overview of our nation's history & how it relates to our current affairs.

[Linda Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. While I did learn many new facts, much of the writing was colored with the author’s opinions about the circumstances and events she was writing about. That’s okay, because it’s her book, but I would have enjoyed the road trip more with a historian’s objectivity.

[Ben Vore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this for me was to be reminded of two superior books that attempt similar journeys. The first is Clint Smith's outstanding How The Word is Passed, which is far more incisive about America's history of slavery. In her chapter on Montgomery, Alabama, Gage takes issue with the idea that "slavery didn't end. It evolved." She strains for false equivalence by arguing this is as equally harmful as viewpoints that erase or rewrite uncomfortable facts about America's racial history. (I'm sorry, but if you come for Bryan Stevenson, you best not miss.) The other is the more polemical The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior. Still, an amiable ride.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4 because I think more Americans should continuously learn about our history beyond 11th grade.

I listened to the audiobook. This one is tough to rate because I love history and I love travel.

Gage had the choice to either go in chronological or geographic order. She opted for chronological and that made it feel like a dry history book without a clear connection to the road trip element. A good road trip isn't complete without snacks, music, and local dialect. It would have been more immersive had she taken us on a literary road trip, dividing the country up by regions.

[Charley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great if you have a newfound interest in history or if you want to learn more about the stories you already know. If you know a lot about history already, avoid this one. I was hoping there'd be more about some of the lesser-known historical places and events, but she pretty much sticks to the APUSH textbook, which is GREAT for most people. If you already know about Debs and Haymarket and the Trail of Tears, for example, this is not for you, but if those only sound vaguely familiar, you'll like this a lot!

[Sara M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I really liked the familiar way that Beverly Gage wrote the book, it was kind of conversational, yet informative. She is a history professor irl, so this book is definitely an approachable way to inform readers about different historical events, people, and places across the country.
The road trip is less one long car trip and more several different smaller road trips through different regions in America across a couple years. I like that she visited some lesser known regions, like upstate New York - home of the women's rights movement (Seneca Falls) and up in Detroit/Dearborn, Michigan. I am from the general area, so the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village hold some memories for me. I really enjoyed reading her take on and the history of these attractions/sites that I grew up with.
I am impressed at Beverly Gage's undertaking while dealing with bumps along the way - like the fact that she was being treated for breast cancer through some of the research of this book!! I would have really liked to read about places she could have gone to if not for car trouble or sickness. This book seems like a labor of love and I really appreciate that. I love books that talk about lesser known American history and this was a fantastic example of that.
This book is already on some lists of "most looked forward to non fiction books of 2026" for good reason. That's how I found it! I am so glad I stumbled upon it. I learned a lot about this country, it's lesser known places and people that I live in that I have seen a woefully small amount of. This Land is Your Land is definitely a five star read for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara Donaldson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mrs Gage and the publishing team for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Overall this book is a hit in my opinion. I loved it so much . The premise of readers following along on a road trip brings an element of fun that can sometimes be missed in nonfiction. Personally , I learned quite a few new bits of history and fun facts while reading . The author has an amazing ability to blend well known or textbook history stories, odds and ends learned on her journey and also the often overlooked or ignored uncomfortable stories . I already have plans to preorder a physical copy for myself and have recommended to friends .

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this wonderful book. I’m a huge history nerd and I love books that combine history and travel and this book definitely did it for me. The author touched on all of the things that I so deeply love and hope to visit more one day.

I love road trips and I love history, so this book was wonderful to me.

I’m only giving it a four stars as it is an advanced copy and I was not able to see a lot of the pictures and maps and stuff that the author intended to have her readers be able to view.

[Anshuman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beverly Gage takes us on a journey through the forgotten and lesser-known parts of American history. Engaging, humorous, and rigorously researched, this book is a modern classic and almost unputdownable. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of America & history & politics (in a liberal way), a frequent historic site visitor (& occasional employee, including an employee of a site mentioned in this book), & a roadtripper, this book was high on my list, especially for America’s 250th. It was made even better by listening to it on a drive through Virginia up to DC. There were some parts that I found somewhat boring but overall I loved the lessons, ideas, & sentiment.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up - I enjoyed listening to this especially with all of the America 250 celebrations going on. If recommend it to history loving friends but think it could be a bit boring if you aren't into that kind of stuff

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audiobook version was terrific! The author emphasizes how people relentlessly modify history to suit. When it comes to history and U.S. history, for sure, be cautious. Quick examples: a) The Alamo and b) Elizabeth Custer's takeover of her husband's story at the Battle of Little Bighorn. And did you know that the American Revolution War was primarily led by George Washington as a war of attrition against the British?

Although off subject, the abundant history mentioned in the Holy Bible should be understood to be stories passed down verbally, until finally they were written down. There can be no doubt, humans ability to tell stories is remarkable and noteworthy. Apparently, it's what we are wired to do.

Catch up on U.S. History with way more than a few stories. Highly recommended!

[Tamara York · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history road trip that also feels very timely. The epilogue was especially good for our current times.