The Glory and the Dream
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932-1972 is a 1400-page volume by William Manchester (sometimes sold as two volumes), describing the history of the United States between 1932 and 1972. The book is exceptionally detailed, bringing in information not just about historical events, but also about the culture of the United States during the times that were described. Manchester provides a wide range of information from average heights of Americans in 1946 to the most respected woman of 1952. The book pays special attention to Roosevelt's New Deal, and the lasting effect it has had on the U.S. government. Manchester has a talent for simplifying the complex political maneuvers that pervaded the Cold War to language anyone can understand. He picks what he considers to be the most important events of each year and relates them from the unique perspective of a person who experienced many of them firsthand. The book was initially released in 1975, so its perspective on the early 1970s is very different from most contemporary accounts of the era. The book is no longer in print.
