Author revives Midwest’s history
Dismissed as Flyover Country. Romanticized as the Heartland. Now, historian Jon K. Lauck seeks to redefine the Midwest as “The Good Country” — a place of progress and democratic ideals — in his chronicle of the region’s 19th century.
“The Good Country” argues that Midwestern roots are a far cry from the way the region is imagined in popular culture today — that is puritanical, repressive and dull. Instead, Lauck presents a Midwestern century from 1800 to 1900 when it formed a bulwark against slavery, fostered a pluralistic, education-rich society and ascended to lead the country through progressivism rooted in community.
Lauck describes the region as “a land of democratic vigor, cultural strength, racial and gender progress, and civic energy — a Good Country” that is worthy of reviving.
The book is accessible for casual readers, yet contains evidence of exhaustive research to appeal to academics. It traces the development of the region from the Northwest Ordinance that opened it to American development to the Civil War era when it birthed leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. It then closed out the century by leading the nation in women’s suffrage and anti-monopoly reforms.
Though Lauck clearly champions the region, he acknowledges its “many racial failings.” American settlement meant suffering for Native American tribes. State laws allowed loopholes in forced servitude and initially failed to grant suffrage to Black people.
Lauck developed the book out of his own search for a comprehensive history of the region to teach in his classes at the University of South
Dakota. He discovered that while scholarship dedicated to the American South and West was flourishing, historical study of the Midwest had long been neglected.
The book’s ambition, however, is not limited to historical analysis. It hints at a present longing for a resurrection of Midwestern democratic vitality.
Lauck laments the “callow tweets, sensationalism, celebrity worship, extreme loneliness, and mass and manufactured and purposeful distraction” of today and suggests “the old Midwest could be a reservoir of idealism and hope if we knew its history.” — Stephen Groves, Associated Press
Streaming and ondemand services are so commonplace
nowadays, one can take for granted how revolutionary HBO was when it was first launched.
In “It’s Not TV,” business reporters Felix Gillette and John Koblin paint a revealing picture of a cultural and business institution from its beginnings to the challenges it now faces.
The book serves two purposes, and does both quite well. The first is as a cultural history of some of the most iconic shows and
programs that HBO has developed over the years.
In their telling, HBO is a cultural empire that has been built on some of the most memorable antiheroes and flawed characters ever created. From Tony Soprano to Selina Meyer, HBO had a knack for investing in shows with characters that for many years broadcast television wouldn’t touch.
But the book’s other purpose as a fascinating account of HBO’s business practices shows how the cable network and eventual streaming service struggled to keep up with the world it helped create.
Gillette and Koblin offer plenty of behind-thescenes tales. They include some of the missteps along the way, such as HBO’s miscalculation on how to respond to and compete with Netflix and other services.
It also recounts many of the issues HBO struggled with, including its depiction of women.
Gillette and Koblin’s deep reporting and sourcing are what make “It’s Not TV” come together so well. The result is a read so riveting, it’s not hard to imagine watching it unfold on Sunday nights.