‘Jenkins is one of the liveliest commentators at work in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian’ - Jeremy Paxman, The Guardian 

The global powerhouse that is the United States of America is younger even than the British Museum, Guinness and the flushing toilet. As America celebrates its 250th birthday and continues to dominate the news, Simon Jenkins takes a timely look at the world’s most powerful nation’s extraordinary history. How did this vast land, long inhabited by diverse indigenous cultures, come to be dominated by English speakers? How has it grappled with the stark contradictions between its ideals of liberty and the grim reality of genocide and slavery? From arrogant conquistadors and idealistic revolutionaries to imperial presidents it’s a narrative so astonishing that it often feels like fake news. 

Simon Jenkins is author of the bestselling A Short History of England, A Short History of Europe, Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations, England's Thousand Best Churches and England's Thousand Best Houses. He is a former Editor of the Evening Standard and The Times, and columnist for the Guardian.