In America, perhaps more than in any other western society, reality, legend and myth overlap. Americans have always been proprietorial about their country and its presentation. The international authors of this book open a range of windows on our study of the USA. Covering issues of culture and society, literature, politics and history, ethnicity, ideology and democracy, they offer a unique analysis of the way in which we perceive and interpret a country which has become the only truly global force in politics and culture.See