Dreaming Up America

"His voice is appealing, and the brevity and scope of his tale are bracing."-Publishers Weekly"A thoughtful and provocative meditation on our history. . . . [Banks] should be heeded, or whatever noble dream we had will be lost forever."-Howard ZinnWith America ever under global scrutiny, Russell Banks contemplates the questions of our origins, values, heroes, conflicts, and contradictions. He writes with conversational ease and emotional insight, drawing on contemporary politics, literature, film, and his knowledge of American history.Russell Banks is the author of sixteen works of fiction, many of which depict seismic events in US history, like the fictionalized journey of John Brown in Cloudsplitter. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes.

RUSSELL BANKS is the author of sixteen works of fiction, many of which depict seismic events in US history, such as the fictionalized journey of John Brown in Cloudsplitter. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes, and two of his novels—The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction—have been made into award-winning films. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, founding president of Cities of Refuge North America, and former New York State Author, Banks lives in upstate New York.