“Making Americans: Immigration, Race and the Origins of the Diverse Democracy” by Desmond King (Harvard University Press; 292 pages; $45)
Our conception of ourselves as Americans is rooted in paradox. We have, since the Founders, and from Emerson through Saul Bellow, celebrated a common American identity based on rugged if not radical individualism. We are, we say, self-reliant and plainspoken, unaffected and busy. We judge people by their character and accomplishments, not by their rank or refinement. We mind our own business. We celebrate, as every corporate human relations department now tells us, our diversity.
