Born on the Fourth of July

Three books look to the past for clues to our nation's future.

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

ARE WE ROME?

The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America

By Cullen Murphy

Houghton Mifflin 262 pp. $24

THE IDEA THAT IS AMERICA

Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World

By Anne-Marie Slaughter

Basic. 254 pp. $25.95

AMERICANISM

The Fourth Great Western Religion

By David Gelernter

Doubleday. 229 pp. $24.95

CONTINUED 1 >

Find More Reviews and Features in Books

A pandemic waiting in the wings

Alan Sipress's superb and sobering "The Fatal Strain" details the shadowy progression of a virulent avian flu now moving across Asia.

Who do men say that I am?

Though too cursory to work as an intro to the Gospels, Mary Gordon's "Reading Jesus" should appeal to anyone who wants to wrestle with the problems and paradoxes of the New Testament.