Exceptional: American Exceptionalism Takes Its Toll

by William Boardman

This 762-page anthology of William Boardman's recent political essays exposes the self-deception and evasion induced by American exceptionalism. The book addresses unpalatable American realities and argues that if the United States is to be trusted again as a reliable, constitutional democracy, it will have to find the collective courage to break through decades of denial and address an array of ugly truths about itself and its role on the world stage. The book sets the stage with the observation that American Exceptionalism permeates US culture. Most Amer­icans were taught to believe in American superiority long before they were able to think for themselves. "America is the greatest country in the world." But what is the measure of "greatness" for a country? Do genocide, slavery, racism, imperialism and endemic poverty count? Each essay in EXEPTIONAL is a snapshot in time, when the author was reacting to the moment, whether it was an act of voter suppression, the start of an aggressive war, the police killing of another unarmed black person, or the failed humanity of so many of America's "lead­ers." In its seven sections, the book

764 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2019