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This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History
Pulitzer Prize–winning author of G-Man and acclaimed historian Beverly Gage takes the ultimate road trip into the American past.
Ride along with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans learn—and fight—about our history. From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia to Disneyland and the California dream, This Land Is Your Land offers a guided tour of thirteen places and thirteen key moments that define America’s greatest successes and challenges.
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 produced a country that often failed to agree upon—or live up to—those ideals. This Land Is Your Land is for everyone who wants to find that history—to experience it and confront it, to celebrate it and condemn it—in the places where it happened.
Gage shows that Americans can face their past and still love their country. Toss the book in the back seat—or listen on audio with the windows down—and join the journey.
Ride along with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans learn—and fight—about our history. From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia to Disneyland and the California dream, This Land Is Your Land offers a guided tour of thirteen places and thirteen key moments that define America’s greatest successes and challenges.
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 produced a country that often failed to agree upon—or live up to—those ideals. This Land Is Your Land is for everyone who wants to find that history—to experience it and confront it, to celebrate it and condemn it—in the places where it happened.
Gage shows that Americans can face their past and still love their country. Toss the book in the back seat—or listen on audio with the windows down—and join the journey.
Audible Audio
First published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
February 11, 2026
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.
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.
March 18, 2026
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.
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.
April 14, 2026
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.
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.
February 21, 2026
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!
February 5, 2026
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!!!
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!!!
May 10, 2026
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.
April 19, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
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.
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.
April 22, 2026
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.
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.
May 4, 2026
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.
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.
May 9, 2026
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..
April 18, 2026
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.
May 6, 2026
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.
April 20, 2026
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.
April 12, 2026
As someone who challenged herself this year with a half a dozen side quests to celebrate, commemorate, and navigate our US history at 250, this book was the perfect hype companion. An insightful, curious look at not only some of our biggest tourist attractions and how they represent major pockets of our shared history, but also the “battle to tell our history” as Gage puts it and how we choose to depict the good, bad, and ugly of our past. Highly recommend for any fellow history nerds who love a good themed road trip. 🇺🇸
April 25, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
March 1, 2026
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 .
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 .
February 14, 2026
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.
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.
January 17, 2026
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.
I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2026
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!!
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!!
April 22, 2026
I liked the tone the author struck right away and knew I was going to enjoy this book. Things look pretty bleak for democracy in the US right now and I appreciated that she not only injected some humor into her narrative but also attempted to show that while there is a lot about our history that is dark, it doesn't behoove us to get too negative and assume nothing will ever change because then it won't. We can always strive to make a better country for everyone who lives here, even if our history isn't a neat, tidy "carousel of progress."
Of course there will be a lot of complaints that Ms. Gage left things out or doesn't go as deep into certain topics as some readers would wish. While I wouldn't use this as a textbook of U.S. history, it does still give a pretty decent comprehensive overview of our social history as told through visits to various historical sites. She had a big task in boiling everything she did down into an actual narrative that makes any kind of sense and can be consumed in a reasonable amount of time.
Thank you Ms. Gage for giving me back some love of America, that we can celebrate the good parts while examining our past and present with a critical eye in a way that's productive--not just sh*tting on things we find distasteful or, on the opposite end, pretending they didn't happen.
Of course there will be a lot of complaints that Ms. Gage left things out or doesn't go as deep into certain topics as some readers would wish. While I wouldn't use this as a textbook of U.S. history, it does still give a pretty decent comprehensive overview of our social history as told through visits to various historical sites. She had a big task in boiling everything she did down into an actual narrative that makes any kind of sense and can be consumed in a reasonable amount of time.
Thank you Ms. Gage for giving me back some love of America, that we can celebrate the good parts while examining our past and present with a critical eye in a way that's productive--not just sh*tting on things we find distasteful or, on the opposite end, pretending they didn't happen.
April 9, 2026
As a citizen, I love my country, and I hate when its patriotic symbols—the flag, the national anthem, the founding—have been co-opted by narrow minded people who claim that they, are the true Americans.
3.5/5 stars.
While this was interesting look at some places in the United States that are tourist destinations but are also important historical places. Beverly Gage is a great writer (and I did like this is coming out in time for the country’s 250th anniversary), but I felt that this book was rather short. I left each chapter wanting more information and felt like I was missing something. While the history is digestible, I was just….I don’t know, expecting more.
3.5/5 stars.
While this was interesting look at some places in the United States that are tourist destinations but are also important historical places. Beverly Gage is a great writer (and I did like this is coming out in time for the country’s 250th anniversary), but I felt that this book was rather short. I left each chapter wanting more information and felt like I was missing something. While the history is digestible, I was just….I don’t know, expecting more.
April 20, 2026
This is likely the most I could possibly enjoy a non-fiction account of American history, so it’s getting 3.5 stars, rounded up. It still felt like homework at times but in an enjoyable, “Schoolhouse Rock” way that made it more palatable than an APUSH textbook.
I enjoyed the writer’s insertion of personal anecdotes and her exploration of her fascination with the Great American Road Trip. If she had a lengthy essay about that, isolated from the dates and geography inherent in a historical narrative, I’d probably give it five stars.
All in all, good stuff if you’re in the mood for it, which I was (most days).
I enjoyed the writer’s insertion of personal anecdotes and her exploration of her fascination with the Great American Road Trip. If she had a lengthy essay about that, isolated from the dates and geography inherent in a historical narrative, I’d probably give it five stars.
All in all, good stuff if you’re in the mood for it, which I was (most days).
April 21, 2026
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!
April 20, 2026
"Empathy is essential if you want to understand history, and, if you want to understand America."
"Traveling the country and learning about history can provide some existential comfort, since it shows that Americans have managed to get themselves out of big messes before. At the very least, it makes it harder to say that things today are worse than ever. Among its other fine qualities, the past offers tools for thinking about how to create change in situations where the odds look daunting."
"Traveling the country and learning about history can provide some existential comfort, since it shows that Americans have managed to get themselves out of big messes before. At the very least, it makes it harder to say that things today are worse than ever. Among its other fine qualities, the past offers tools for thinking about how to create change in situations where the odds look daunting."
April 23, 2026
A road trip across America and through history. Highly readable and informative, beautiful descriptions of place. And by depicting some of the more difficult and troubling parts of our history that we managed to survive, I found the book gave me some optimism. Wonderful audio narration.
April 24, 2026
2.75/5
I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator.
As someone who isn't from the US, this book was very informative about the lesser-known history of the founding of the US. It featured predominantly marginalized stories about slavery and injustice, which I liked as it showed a more balanced side of history.
Overall, a very interesting history lesson.
I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator.
As someone who isn't from the US, this book was very informative about the lesser-known history of the founding of the US. It featured predominantly marginalized stories about slavery and injustice, which I liked as it showed a more balanced side of history.
Overall, a very interesting history lesson.
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