I wish I could recommend this book. It’s beautifully illustrated, and full of beautiful sentiments about the American people. It certainly represents all sorts of things I want to be true. But it is so idealized it makes broad generalized statements that aren’t necessarily true of all Americans: when discussing the natural beauty of the land, it states, “Americans know that all these things are gifts to be cherished and protected, and passed on to future generations of Americans.” Yet we hear regularly in the news that a large percentage of Americans believe these things need to be exploited for economic gain. The book declares America a place, “where hard work is rewarded; where people can climb as high as their hearts and minds can reach.” As much as we all like to believe this to be true, it is not always the reality experienced by all Americans. I even debated giving this book a Not Recommended rating, but I’m going soft on it because I want it to be true.