These Truths
A History of the United States
Published on 12. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
1040 pages
978-1-324-13076-5 (ISBN)
Description
Americans are descended from slaves and slave owners, from conquerors and the conquered, from immigrants and from people who have fought to end immigration. "A nation born in contradiction will fight forever over the meaning of its history," Lepore writes. "Clear in purpose and elegant in design" (TLS), These Truths observes, "The past is an inheritance, a gift and a burden." "It can't be shirked. There's nothing for it but to get to know it.
Reviews / Votes
"This vivid history brings alive the contradictions and hypocrisies of the land of the free... excellent book" -- David Aaronovitch - The Times "... Jill Lepore's These Truths may restore faith in American ideals." -- From Trump to These Truths: what to read to make sense of politics in 2019 - The Guardian "...clear-eyed history of the country." -- The Economist "...one of those rare history books that can be read with pleasure for its sheer narrative energy." -- Simon Winchester - New Statesman "I'm ending the year back in the real world though, reading the most fabulously written history of the USA called These Truths by Jill Lepore." -- Armando Lannucci, '2018's Best Books' - The Big Issue "This is a tale told with the verve of a great teacher, the modulated literary style of a high-class novelist and the generous, careful eye of a historian who treats her sources as precious artefacts not as subjects for plunder." -- History Today "The most honest and unflinching account of the American story I've ever read" -- Bill Gates' '5 Favorite Books Of 2019' - Forbes "A The New York Times Bestseller"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
70 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
962 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-324-13076-5 (9781324130765)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2018
W. W. Norton & Company
€18.49
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
10/2019
WW Norton & Co
€39.80
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University, professor of law at Harvard Law School, and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the New York Times bestsellers These Truths and We the People. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.