Icons of American popular culture

by Robert C. Cotrell

"The American story can be told in many ways and from many points of view. Accounts of military conflicts, political debates, economic developments, and the achievement of great national leaders are all staples of our history education. But we know that there are other faces we show to the world. The popular heroes and heroines, entertainers and teachers, role models and cultural entrepreneurs who have embodied the life of the nation and represented the American Dream offer another window on our social, economic, and political history. They are both the products and the shapers of an ever-changing American society. The stories of their individual lives and endeavors offer perspectives on our history precisely at the points of social change." "Icons of American Popular Culture traces this history in ten chapters, each revolving around the lives of two remarkable individuals who are in some way emblematic of their time, from the antebellum period to the present. Complementing the profile