The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election - Hardcover

Todd Gitlin is professor of journalism and sociology and chair of the PhD program in communications at Columbia University. He lectures widely on matters relating to OWS and is the author of fourteen previous books about politics, culture, movements, and media, including the bestselling The Sixties. He was a founding member of Students for a Democratic Society and its third president

The Chosen Peoples

“This is one of the finest books I have ever read about the ideas which drive modern nations. Eloquent and erudite, Gitlin and Leibovitz reveal the promise and the pitfalls of a mass temptation neither Americans nor Israelis have been able to resist. The Chosen Peoples is a necessary work for our perilous era.”

--Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan

“Americans’ deep sense of connection to Old Testament prophecy and providence dates back to the Puritans. In their provocative new book, Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz explore that connection anew for modern times—and offer food for thought and rich argument about the historical as well as political experiences of both Israel and the United States.”

--Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy

“A perceptive comparison between Israel and the United States as Chosen Peoples of God. The authors synthesize history, Bible study, and current events with their own deeply moral analysis. They explore the analogy between the Israeli settlers on Palestinian lands and the white American settlers on Native American lands in ways profoundly enlightening.”

--Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

“The Chosen Peoples invites readers to take with great seriousness and respect the idea that both Israel and the United States bear the burden of imagining themselves as chosen by God. In an extraordinarily sensitive exploration of the concept of being chosen, Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz bring a fresh perspective to the history of Israel and America and to the complex linkages between them.”

--Joyce Appleby, professor emerita of history, UCLA, author of The Relentless Revolution: A History of Capitalism

“Few alliances on the world stage are as complex and important as the Israeli-United States special relationship. Yet how best to understand it? In a book that is as refreshing as it is provocative, and timely too, The Chosen Peoples explores the fascinating consequences of both nations seeing themselves as chosen by God. Bravo to Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz for their important contribution.”

--Jay Winik, author of April 1865 and The Great Upheaval

“The Chosen Peoples is a probing account of two powerful myths that have brought us to the brink of disaster, but that may still provide a fresh way forward. The authors’ case for more humane ideas of national destiny is lucid, compelling, and deeply necessary. No one who cares about the future of America--or Israel--can afford to ignore this timely and important book.”

--Jackson Lears, Rutgers University, author of Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920

“Intriguing. . . . Brisk and entertaining. . . . A valuable addition to the public discussion of religion and politics (or religion in politics).”

--Gordon Haber, Forward

“A thought-provoking book that deserves much attention and debate. . . . In addition to the catholicity of its approach and its truly bold—actually totally chutzpah—scope, I was most attracted to it because it gives a fine framework wherein to situate anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism.”

--Andrei S. Markovits, Huffingtonpost.com

“Gitlin and Leibovitz shed light on the strong messianic impulses in the history of both ‘chosen’ nations.”

--Chuck Leddy, The Christian Science Monitor

“An ambitious religio-political meditation on American and Israeli history. . . . The theme of chosenness yields an insightful reading of the Israeli national project, which is explicitly linked to ancient religious imperatives.”

--Publishers Weekly