Menu
Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)
Bottom of the pile
16
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
14/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Alexandra Petri
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Date:
April 11, 2023
A witty, absurdist satire of the last 500 years in US history. Petri's 'historical fan fiction' draws on real events and completely absurd fabrications to create a laugh-out-loud, irreverent takedown of our nation's complicated past.
What The Reviewers Say
A gifted comedic writer takes bona fide pieces of American history and uses them as occasions to go brilliantly bananas.
Petri’s seemingly effortless ability to reimagine American history in the most bizarre ways makes this one of the most entertaining books you’ll read this year.
Though the satire is more eccentric than biting, Petri pricks the egos of many legendary men, noting, for instance, that Henry David Thoreau’s mother brought his laundry to him at Walden Pond. Rooted in Petri’s impressive knowledge of the American past, this is a trip..
Some of the pieces work.
