A review by miguelf
Behold, America: The Entangled History of "America First" and "the American Dream" by Sarah Churchwell

4.0

The phrase “America First” is so loaded now that we forget the long and tainted history that’s associated with it. The author takes us through the background on this saying over the first 40 years of the 20th century stopping along the way to get a peek at some of the unsavory men who championed its use and abuse. She also looks at how other empty phrases such as “The American Dream” and other catchphrases that were also ginned up and planted in the American psyche. Currently those of us watching Roth adaptation of ‘The Plot Against America’ might have a difficult time buying into the “what-if” scenario had a figure like Lindbergh or one of the many other demagogues come to power in the 30’s or 40’s, but Churchwell gives the reader a dose of what the reality was like on the ground, and has photos at the end reminding us of the large rallies showing the Stars & Stripes propped up next to the Swastika. Scary stuff and scarier still to think of the times we’re currently in and the large portion of the country absolutely fine with this.