Sweet Freedom's Song: How Music of Patriotism, Protest, and Persistence Shapes American Identity

(Hardback)

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A musical adventure through America as a land of songs, uncovering how American identity and values are found in popular and folk music.

Michael Lasser cuts across a wide swath of history and people, from This Land Is My Land to Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon, and shows how songs that help to shape and reflect American attitudes possess, at the very least, an element of patriotism.

Lasser writes about Yankee Doodle as the countrys first important patriotic song and looks at its recurrence over the next two centuries. He covers protest songs as a form of patriotic expression; songs from African American people, including as slaves and as free people; and songs of womens suffrage. On the flip side, he also critically analyzes racist, ethnic, and anti-immigrant songs. While the book celebrates Americas successes, it does not shrink from its flaws and failures. Lasser turns America into a land of songs, taking readers on an exciting ride through the nation, its history, and its people.

Author Bio

Michael Lasser is a writer, broadcaster, and former teacher. A former teacher of English, he has written four previous books about American popular music. His nationally-syndicated public radio show, Fascinatin Rhythm, was on the air for forty years and won a George Foster Peabody Award. He lives in Rochester, NY.