America the Philosophical Hardcover - 2012

Media reviews

“In an age when many debates are high-pitched screeds, how counterintuitive it is to argue that American philosophical thought is booming. But that’s trademark Romano . . . Romano turns this subject into a narrative of people brought together through their love of ideas.”
            -Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune
 
“Both scholarly and entertaining—learned and stimulating—to an equal and extraordinary degree. America the Philosophical is one of the books of the year . . . A hugely enlightening compendium of intellectual heresy.”
            -Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News
 
“A comprehensive intellectual history from Emerson to Rawls.”
            -The New Yorker
 
“Ambitious . . . Romano is enlightening when he analyzes American intellectual life and illustrates its liveliness.”
            -Anthony Gottlieb, The New York Times Book Review (cover)
 
“A high-speed tour of America’s big thinkers . . . Romano is a cheerful and exuberant guide.”
            -Jonathan Rée, The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
“Admirable . . . Romano writes with the snap of a journalist.”
            -Thomas Meaney, The Wall Street Journal
 
“Fascinating portraits of unjustly obscure intellectual figures, curated by a writer with a talent for the telling example.”
            -John Kappes, The Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
“Stimulating . . . Graceful . . . This exuberant book succeeds in filling one’s mind with the excitement of ideas duking it out.”
            -Drew DeSilver, The Seattle Times
 
“Genuinely exciting and provocative . . . If Romano wanted to discombobulate the traditional landscape of American philosophy, he achieved his goal.”
            -Umberto Eco 
 
“Romano’s remarkable book stands out in terms of ambition, breadth, provocativeness, and, when needed, a delicate touch.”
            -Howard Gardner, author of Truth, Beauty and Goodness Reframed
 
“Comprehensive and certain to be controversial . . . Romano’s grip on his subject is fierce, and his tone, though critical throughout (he does not just summarize; he assesses), is occasionally light . . . A tour de force—encyclopedic, entertaining and enlightening.”
            -Starred review, Kirkus
 
“Engaging . . . With illuminating anecdotes and an addictive prose style, Romano renders complex ideas lucid without sacrificing depth of understanding or his splendid sense of humor. His breathtaking intellectual range and passion will make every reader want to be a philosopher.”
            -Starred review, Publishers Weekly
 
“Part love letter, part hand grenade, Romano’s commentary is sure to delight and infuriate in a way that will underscore its thesis.”
            -Booklist
 
“This wide-ranging survey is likely to be of interest to all readers interested in philosophy and American thought in the 20th and 21st centuries.”
            -Library Journal