Cover courtesy of Penguin Random House

At last, I’m reading Colin Woodard’s “American Nations: A History of the 11 Rival Regional Cultures of North America.” I’ve started and put it down several times since its 2011 publication. This summer I decided I needed to understand the country more deeply. Reading it has had cliff-hanger moments, even though I know American history. It has illuminated the reasons there are such deep divisions within the country – we are truly many nations stitched together through tenuous alliances. I can’t recommend it highly enough to those interested in having a better understanding of why we’re where we are. I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know and lending it to whoever asks. It’s been a timely read. — SOLANGE KELLERMANN, Portland