Spreading The American Dream

In examining the economic and cultural trs that expressed America's expansionist impulse during the first half of the twentieth century, Emily S. Rosenberg shows how U.S. foreign relations evolved from a largely private system to an increasingly public one and how, soon, the American dream became global.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Winner of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize Financial Missionaries to the World establishes the broad scope and significance of "dollar diplomacy"—the use of international lending and advising—to early-twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy. Combining diplomatic, economic, and cultural history, the distinguished historian Emily S. Rosenberg shows how private bank loans were extended to leverage the acceptance of American financial advisers by foreign governments. In an analysis striking in its relevance to contemporary debates over international loans, she reveals how a practice initially justified as a progressive means to extend “civilization” by promoting economic stability and progress became embroiled in controversy. Vocal critics at home and abroad charged that American loans and financial oversight constituted a new imperialism that fostered exploitation of less powerful nations. By the mid-1920s, Rosenberg explains, even early supporters of dollar diplomacy worried that by facilitating excessive borrowing, the practice might induce the very instability and default that it supposedly worked against. "[A] major and superb contribution to the history of U.S. foreign relations. . . . [Emily S. Rosenberg] has opened up a whole new research field in international history."—Anders Stephanson, Journal of American History "[A] landmark in the historiography of American foreign relations."—Melvyn P. Leffler, author of A Preponderence of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration, and the Cold War "Fascinating."—Christopher Clark, Times Literary Supplement

“A truly addictive read” (Glamour) about how a young woman’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into the immigrant experience, as it hurtles to its electrifying ending in this “twisty, unputdownable, psychological thriller” (People). Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her. Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates. Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate. Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build. Filled with surprising twists and a nuanced exploration of class and race, White Ivy is a “highly entertaining,” (The Washington Post) “propulsive debut” (San Francisco Chronicle) that offers a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.

When Barack Obama told “Joe the Plumber” that he wanted to “spread the wealth around,” he wasn’t just using a figure of speech. Since the 2008 campaign, Stanley Kurtz has established himself as one of Barack Obama’s most effective and well-informed critics. He was the first to expose the extent of Obama’s ties to radicals such as Bill Ayers and ACORN. Now Kurtz reveals new evidence that the administration’s talk about helping the middle class is essentially a smoke screen. Behind the scenes, plans are under way for a serious push toward wealth redistribution, with the suburban middle class—not the so-called one percent—bearing the brunt of it. Why haven’t we heard more about policies that will lead to redistribution? In part, of course, because controversies over Obamacare, unemployment, and the exploding budget deficit have taken the media spot­light. But the main reason, according to Kurtz, is that Obama doesn’t want to tip his hand about his second term. He knows that his plans will alienate the moderate swing voters who hold the key to his reelection. Drawing on previously overlooked sources, Kurtz cuts through that smoke screen to reveal what’s really going on. Radicals from outside the administration—including key Obama allies from his early community organizing days—have been quietly influ­encing policy, in areas ranging from edu­cation to stimulus spending. Their goal: to increase the influence of America’s cities over their suburban neighbors so that even­tually suburban independence will vanish. In the eyes of Obama’s former mentors—fol­lowers of leftist radical Saul Alinsky—suburbs are breeding grounds for bigotry and greed. The classic American dream of a suburban house and high quality, locally controlled schools strikes them as selfishness, a waste of resources that should be redirected to the urban poor. The regulatory groundwork laid so far is just a prelude to what’s to come: substantial redistribution of tax dollars. Over time, cities would effectively swallow up their surround­ing municipalities, with merged school dis­tricts and forced redistribution of public spending killing the appeal of the suburbs. The result would be a profound transforma­tion of American society. Kurtz shows the unbroken line of continuity from Obama’s community organizing roots to his presidency. And he reveals why his plan to undermine the suburbs means so much to him personally. Kurtz’s revelations are sure to be hotly dis­puted. But they are essential to helping vot­ers make an informed choice about whether to reward the president with a second term.

It's a time of transition for the American Right. The old ideas are failing. The conservative movement is disintegrating. And the European Americans who defined and created the United States are rising in defense of their own identity and interests. Gregory Hood is one of the most eloquent and insightful of the writers defining and promoting this transition. Waking Up from the American Dream, his first book, collects some of his most important work, including the legendary "A White Nationalist Memo to White Male Republicans," and a new essay, "Trump: The Last American," on the meaning of Donald Trump's nationalist-populist insurgency. The target of Hood's withering critique is "Americanism" itself, the classical liberal ideology that is dissolving America's white ethnic and cultural core. Hood explains his intellectual path from conservatism to White Nationalism-and why you should follow. For those seeking to understand the emerging White Right, Gregory Hood is one voice you can't afford to ignore. "In our movement, Gregory Hood is unquestionably the best writer of his generation. Indeed, he could be the best writer in the entire movement."-Jared Taylor, author of White Identity "Gregory Hood is a brilliant stylist with a great sense of humor as well as a firm grasp of the issues facing white America. I found these essays a pleasure to read, and I was impressed again and again by the depth of his insight into complex issues."-Kevin MacDonald, author of The Culture of Critique "Political theater in America is usually insufferably boring and smarmy, if occasionally comical and sometimes absurd. But when Gregory Hood weighs in, I pay attention. He has an insider's grasp of the political scene and a talent for teasing the farce out of the most dismal current affairs. But he's no mere heckler. He's got a dream for America and the West, too, and he employs humor and insight to reveal what is wrong and what could very well be the New Right."-Jack Donovan, author of Becoming a Barbarian "Gregory Hood is quite simply the best political columnist to have emerged on the authentic Right since the death of Sam Francis. He is free of illusions concerning not only the regime under which we live but also the confidence tricksters of the 'conservative movement' who makes such a comfortable living shadow-boxing with it. For countless European-descended Americans gradually coming to realize they have been lied to since birth, but unsure what to do next, Hood will be an invaluable guide."-F. Roger Devlin, author of Sexual Utopia in Power "Reading Gregory Hood's Waking Up from the American Dream has reawakened the pain of an old wound. For I am old enough to remember the old America. The America that sent a man to the Moon. The America of endless possibilities. And, yes, the America that was 90% white. And that America is gone. The new America is based on anti-white envy and sexual degeneracy pushed on our smallest children. The flag may still be the same, but the old America, the Dream, is dead. Gregory Hood has written a powerful and poignant book about what we have lost. I highly recommend this book."-Ramzpaul "Calling Mr. Hood's work 'must read' doesn't quite do it justice. Perhaps no voice has been as prescient in detailing the crisis unfolding in America for its historic majority population, and in noting the proposition nation is irredeemable. This is the seminal political work for understanding the situation white people face in America."-Paul Kersey, author of Escape from Detroit "Prolific. Punchy. Powerful. Gregory Hood is one of the most insightful and entertaining writers in the Alt Right."-Richard Spencer, National Policy Institute