Like so many of us, Bill McKibben grew up believing—knowing—that the United States was the greatest country on earth. As a teenager, he led American Revolution tours in Lexington, Massachusetts; he sang "Kumbaya" at church; and with the rise of suburbia, he assumed that all Americans would share in the wealth. But 50 years later, he finds himself in a doubtful nation strained by racial and economic inequality, and so he sought answers. Digging into America's history and his own, McKibben assesses the problems, and offers reasons for hope.

"Plainspoken, direct, conversational, and inspiring, Bill McKibben offers us generous insight."—Terry Tempest Williams