My mother-in law gave Where We Stand
I alternated between a nostalgic feel for my youth when I failed to see the imperfections of America and was caught up in the noble ideals upon which the country was founded and a more recently developed cynicism of "people don't really feel that way."
But, as he wrote, I harkened back upon my experiences living overseas. I remembered the conversations I had with Europeans who said, "America has no culture. It is hamburgers and movies," implying that the rich music, artistic, and other contributions somehow trumped America.
On the surface, it may seem that way because America is both simple and complex.
Roger Rosenblatt, a self-avowed liberal (but one who strikes me as remarkably even-keeled) beautifully articulates what I tried to explain to my European friends. It's not about music or art, but how we think and act. That's what makes America such a remarkable place. He knows there is room for cynicism and criticism and it's healthy, but he gives you perspective on what it really is all about and how there really is no other place like it in the world..and for that, Americans should be grateful.
When I was 14, I traveled through the (then) USSR, communist Poland and East Germany for 2 weeks with my dad.
When we got to West Berlin, outside of the Checkpoint Charlie museum, I remember thinking-for the first time-how happy I was to have been born in a free society.
For all of its warts, Rosenblatt shows us the beauty that is within.
P.S. He also wrote another great book I read called Rules for Aging
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