The editors of "Myth America" discuss the newly released collection of essays by an all star team of fellow historians who push back against a crisis of bad history and misinformation.
This hybrid event will take place in-person at Labyrinth Book or can be joined online via this link.
In "Myth America" historians set the record straight on the most pernicious myths about our nation’s past in a collection edited by Princeton University professor Zelizer and Kruse.
The United States is in the grip of a crisis of bad history. Distortions of the past promoted in the conservative media have led large numbers of Americans to believe in fictions over facts, making constructive dialogue impossible and imperiling our democracy.
The contributors debunk narratives that portray the New Deal and Great Society as failures, immigrants as hostile invaders and feminists as anti-family warriors — among numerous other partisan lies. Based on a firm foundation of historical scholarship, their findings revitalize our understanding of American history.
Replacing myths with research and reality, "Myth America" is essential reading amid today’s misinformation flood and heated debates about our nation’s past.
Kevin M. Kruse is a professor of history at Princeton University and the editor or author of five books, including "White Flight" and "One Nation Under God."
Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and the author and editor of numerous books, most recently "Burning Down the House" and "Abraham Joshua Heschel."
Kruse and Zelizer previously co-authored the book "Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974."
This event is a joint presentation of the library and Labyrinth Books and is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s History Department and Humanities Council.