Carla Blank

"'Rediscovering America' boldly embraces the big, messy, complicated world of the past century in a multicultural United States. Instead of offering a monocultural, hierarchical perspective (a sure way to render information obsolete in the twenty-first century), 'Rediscovering America' addresses the need to give evenhanded recognition to the many differences in American experinces and viewpoints from year to year across time. It broadens the usual conceptions of American culture by consistently reflecting our country's multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial diversity. The book address how we all play a part in creating our culture, helping us understand the vagaries as well as the achievements of our past, the complex nature of the present, and the immeasurable possibilitities of the future.
"Innovation--across subcultures and disciplines--is at the heart of the twentieth century American experience. It is therefore the main critieria for the entries in this book...."
(from the Introduction, page xiii)