In this lively exploration of America's intellectual heritage, acclaimed poet, novelist, and critic Jay Parini celebrates the life and times of thirteen books that helped shape the American psyche.<br> <br>Moving nimbly between the great watersheds in American letters—including <i>Walden</i>, <i>Huckleberry Finn</i>, <i>The Souls of Black Folk</i>, and <i>On the Road</i>—Parini demonstrates how these books entered American life and altered how we think and act in the world. An immensely readable and vibrant work of cultural history, <b>Promised Land</b> exposes the rich literary foundation of our culture, and is sure to appeal to all book lovers and students of the American character alike.