Daniel Immerwahr is an associate professor of history at Northwestern University and the author of Thinking Small: The United States and the Lure of Community Development, which won the Organization of American Historians' Merle Curti Award. He has written for Slate, n+1, Dissent, and other publications.
"To call this standout book a corrective would make it sound
earnest and dutiful, when in fact it is wry, readable and often
astonishing. Immerwahr knows that the material he presents is
serious, laden with exploitation and violence, but he also knows
how to tell a story, highlighting the often absurd space that
opened up between expansionist ambitions and ingenuous self-regard
. . . It's a testament to Immerwahr's considerable storytelling
skills that I found myself riveted by his sections on Hoover's
quest for standardized screw threads, wondering what might happen
next." --Jennifer Szalai, New York Times "[Immerwahr's] book is
written in 22 brisk chapters, full of lively characters, dollops of
humor, and surprising facts . . . It entertains and means to do so.
But its purpose is quite serious: to shift the way that people
think about American history . . . Immerwahr convincingly argues
that . . . the United States replaced colonies with chemistry, '
and partially 'substituted technology for territory.' It is a
powerful and illuminating economic argument . . . the book succeeds
in its core goal: to recast American history as a history of the
'Greater United States.' . . . deserves a wide audience, and it
should find one." --Patrick Iber, The New Republic "[How to Hide an
Empire] is full of pop-culture references and interesting anecdotes
that challenge common sense. Immerwahr's point is not to condemn
empire but to explain it. And by doing so, he helps us better
understand American foreign and military policy in the present--and
the future . . . At its best, Immerwahr's book describes not only a
forgotten history but a history of forgetting itself." --Adrian
Chen, New York "Consistently both startling and absorbing . . .
Immerwahr vividly retells the early formation of the [United
States], the consolidation of its overseas territory, and the
postwar perfection of its 'pointillist' global empire, which
extends influence through a vast constellation of tiny footprints."
--Harper's "[Immerwahr] writes in the manner of an entertaining and
informative lecturer who cannot wait to tell the class his latest
discovery from the archives . . . Gore Vidal was fond of referring
to Imperial America, and not in an approving way. Were he alive to
read this book he would probably endorse it, perhaps only
regretting that he had not written it himself." --James Michael,
Times Literary Supplement "How to Hide an Empire takes you on a
whirlwind tour of the islands and territories the U.S. has governed
from the 19th century on. It draws you in with smartly weaved,
gripping stories and constructs an impressively expansive tale of
America's global conquests. Manifest destiny takes on a whole new
meaning. Simmering beneath all these stories is a powerful
throughline: As classic colonialism was being fazed out in the 20th
century, a new, more covert form of empire-building set in - with
the U.S. at the forefront. It's not a stretch to say that this book
will make you think about American history in a new way." --Ramtin
Arablouei, NPR "A richly detailed, thoroughly researched history .
. . the author engagingly depicts the nations' conquests . . .
Immerwahr animates the narrative with a lively cast of characters .
. . A vivid recounting of imperial America's shameful past."
--Kirkus (Starred Review) "There are many histories of American
expansionism. How to Hide an Empire renders them all obsolete. It
is brilliantly conceived, utterly original, and immensely
entertaining -- simultaneously vivid, sardonic and deadly serious."
--Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Twilight of the American Century
"How to Hide an Empire is a breakthrough, for both Daniel Immerwahr
and our collective understanding of America's role in the world.
His narrative of the rise of our colonial empire outside North
America, and then our surprising pivot from colonization to
globalization after World War II, is enthralling in the telling --
and troubling for anyone pondering our nation's past and future.
The result is a book for citizens and scholars alike." --Samuel
Moyn, author of Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal Age "This
book changes our understanding of the fundamental character of the
United States as a presence in world history. By focusing on the
processes by which Americans acquired, controlled, and were
affected by territory, Daniel Immerwahr shows that the United
States was not just another 'empire, ' but was a highly distinctive
one the dimensions of which have been largely ignored." --David A.
Hollinger, author of Protestants Abroad: How Missionaries Tried to
Change the World but Changed America
"Historian Immerwahr argues in this substantial work that . . . for
more than two centuries the U.S. has been . . . a kind of empire .
. . made up of territories . . . barely acknowledged in popular
conceptions of the country . . . This insightful, excellent book,
with its new perspective on an element of American history that is
almost totally excluded from mainstream education and knowledge,
should be required reading for those on the mainland." --Publishers
Weekly (Starred Review) "President Jefferson imagined an 'Empire of
Liberty' . . . [but] Immerwahr illustrates how American territorial
expansion included control over and governance of millions of
Spanish speakers and various Indian tribes who had to be forcefully
subdued . . . a useful and informative work, since many of these
overseas territories remain under our governance." --Booklist
"In How to Hide an Empire, Immerwahr chronicles the history of . .
. 'large colonies and pinprick islands'. The result is a
whimsical-serious work: a deft disquisition on America, and America
in the world, with a raconteur's touch and keen sense of the
absurd." --Stephen Phillips, The Spectator "Immerwahr peppers his
account with colourful characters and enjoyable anecdotes. This
tale of territorial empire, he suggests, throws light on the
histories of everything from the Beatles to Godzilla, the
birth-control pill to the transistor radio." --The Economist
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