An American Dreamer
By David Finkel

This is a nonfiction book which attempts to show, through the true stories of people interviewed, the political disaster this country is heading for once again. Although Mr. Finkel has written this book from a somewhat left-leaning bias, he has done a fair job of trying to explain why Americans of all political stripes feel as they feel – what has appealed to their biases and fears.

This is a tough period in our history – it may be a make or break moment for America. And put in the context of what is happening throughout the world, the choices we face are difficult. Let us hope that, whichever way we go forward, we end up in a better place.

This book almost feels like it has some of my story in it. I guess we are really included in this, but as Bent, it was the nightmare we all lived through and still feel to this day.

I enjoyed this book, Bent had a great military career and a great life as a counselor. I do see a lot of my feelings toward Trump as a president and after he lost and couldn’t believe that he had really lost, has split the Inited States. I really hope we can become United once again as a great nation.

First, thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I did enjoy this book. It's a fairly easy read. But based on the description, I had higher hopes for it. As a patriotic American, I have been troubled and puzzled for years over the decisions and behavior of those who support Donald Trump and his minions. I was raised as a Baptist, so I know the teachings of the Bible. I was raised by parents who voted Republican--Goldwater Republicans, so I understand that brand of Conservatism, but this new group? Well, I have no idea what allows their thinking and actions. It seems anti-American to me although they have appropriated the word "Patriotic" so much that I almost didn't use it to describe myself for the current connotations it holds. Sorry, that's a long introduction to explaining my disappointment with this book, but it sits at the root of the problem for me.

I had never read Finkel's other books, so when I first met the soldier, Brent Cummings, I really expected to get a glimpse into why and how someone might be supportive of Trump. Finkel keeps hints of Cumming's leanings out of the early chapters,. It's impossible to tell what side he is on, so when it's revealed that Cummings, too, is puzzled by the support for the far Right, I was taken by surprise.

Then we meet the neighbor, Michael, who is disabled, which might lead one to believe he would resent Trump's belittling and mocking behavior toward the disabled, but he's a rabid supporter of all things Trump. We get a tiny glimpse into his life, but never enough to truly explain his logic in supporting the former President. At one point he falls back on the usual explanations and accusations. Refuting sources of the facts and stating, ""All politicians lie." In 2016, he had voted, not FOR Trump, but against Hillary, which is a whole other story I'd like to understand as well. But now he is a "hard-core conservative."

Bottom line for me is that is you, like me are seeking to understand the Far Right, this book will disappoint you. It's a worthy read, especially if you want to reinforce your own ideas. Cummings is admirable in so many ways! I totally understand him. If a Trump supporter happens to pick up this book, I don't think it will enlighten them about the Democratic ideals. I wish it could, but given the vitriolic climate of our country right now, I think they'd just dismiss it and see Cummings as a "dreamer" and a soft touch. I can practically hear them now, "If that cadet had been white, he'd have been booted out, not given multiple chances."

I did enjoy the book. It was not time wasted. I am glad to have "met" Cummings and his neighbor. I just didn't get the insights I was hoping for. However, I am adding Finkel's book "The Good Soldier" to my TBR list, though in hopes of understanding that war more clearly. I hope he doesn't disappoint me in that one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for sharing this ARC. It was an interesting “slice of life” type telling of the lives of mainly one man, a retired soldier, and others in his orbit, navigating the country’s current fractured state. The book ends around the January 6 insurrection, and given that it’s being published 3 years later, it feels incomplete. Overall, I’m not sure I would recommend it to others. I just didn’t feel it made much of an impact on me

This book follows a recently retired service member who is dealing with painful memories of warfare while adjusting to life in an America that causes him to wonder what has happened to it. An important book for these days, should be read by all. A well written, interesting, and a book that says much about current American life. Highly recommended for all readers.

An Iraqi war veteran returns to the United States to find the country in a tangled mess, as Trump interprets democracy in a way that does not sync with the oaths that the veteran took and was true to. Finkel uses current history as the story background, and it is a replay of the 2016-2020 American life. Powerful, but not enjoyable to read about sad changes that are accurately described. It would make for an interesting discussion between readers with differing political views.

What were their sacrifices for? Was it all so someone could come along a decade later and get elected president and try to divide the United States into a broken country that would produce even more people ruined by war?

from An American Dreamer by David Finkel
Two doors down from us is a young family. We have been friendly with them ever since they moved in. We greet each other and stop to talk. The father plows our sidewalk when it snows and this fall I heard a racket and found him cleaning out our gutters.

In 2016 our political yard signs were not in sync. I worried it would ruin our friendship. I worry that in 2024 if they display Trump signs again, I won’t be able to feel the same way about them.

David Finkel spent years following the life of one man. A soldier with disturbing dreams. a family man and father who could count his blessings. A man who believed in the Constitution and was alarmed by what was happening in America. His neighbor is MAGA, a man with great challenges and a huge gun collection, as was his county and state.

These were his days now, the days of a moral man in the midst of a moment that felt immoral to him, a man who got into bed every night wondering in silence whether this would be another night for the dream.

from An American Dreamer: Life in a Divided Country by David Finkel
Cummings had put his life on the line for his country. He experienced the deaths of comrades at war. Unconcerned about politics, he did his duty. Now, nightmares regularly disturb his sleep. But the America of his ideals has been replaced by a country of hate.

When Finkel began recording the events in the book he had no idea of what was to come or that he would document four years of such important historical and legal importance.

Brent Cummings’ story will resonate with many who has struggled with the impact of America’s deep political division.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

An American Dreamer is a fantastic look at the division that has been created in America and how one veteran breaks many of the stereotypes that have been pushed or shown about America and the citizens who live there.

I really liked An American Dreamer. From the foreword, I thought it would be a diverse array of perspectives on recent American politics. It is, but small scale and intimate, looking closely at two lives and how today’s political landscape impacts them. Despite the, oftentimes, heavy topic, it’s a fast read. I read this in one sitting.

Brent Cummings is a retired army officer who is shocked by the changing climate. As a white male, he is beginning to recognize his privilege and how the world is different for non-white Americans. You can feel Brent’s growing concern for what’s happening in his workplace, town, and America as a whole.

In contrast, Brent’s neighbor Michael is on the other side of the political spectrum. We don’t hear as much about Michael’s views, but they are clear. The reader watches how this difference in politics strains a warm relationship.

Overall, interesting, thought-provoking, and beautiful prose. Recommended. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Crushed, though, wasn’t the same as surprised, because if there was one fundamental difference between Dante and Brent, it was that Brent had been primed for success in his life and had suffered from his failures and that Dante had been primed for failure and suffered from his successes.”

I read this book as a galley copy from Net Galley and penguin random house. Written by Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post journalist, this is the story of Brent Cummings an Iraq war veteran living in suburban Georgia - Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene country- before the 2020 election. Every night he has vivid dreams - ptsd nightmares from his time in Iraq- as he settles into civilian life in a time of great division in America. Politically - historically - the American dream is no longer a given or optimistic. This is not a book I’d normally read - but it is gripping and tense. Finkel has a visceral style that grabs you by the throat as he explores all the players in Brent’s life - and the deteriorating political and cultural life in America as seen through its various lenses and characters. There’s Michael the quadriplegic neighbor and hard core Trump supporter and his hard working and cancer fighting wife Ann. There is Brent’s wife Laura who tries to keep afloat while dealing with Brent’s PTSD and autistic daughter Meredith. There’s Brent’s advisees in the local college ROTC program that he oversees. If anything this book is relentingly grim and dark - and real. Though the book does end on a glimmer of hope (a sliver) but purposely poised before the Jan 6 drama. The author obviously does not have a high opinion of Trump who is a catalyst for much of the landscape for Finkels dreamers - but he gives great insight into what pushes and holds his supporters. And what are the issues of his day. I suspect this could be an inflammatory and controversial book when published. Read it at your own risk - but if you do you will - like me - learn a lot and experience a particular bruta view of the current state of affairs in America.

"An American Dreamer" by David Finkel is a heart-breaking read. This is not a lengthy screed against the scourge that is T*ump but an honest look at a man, deeply committed to his country, who is realizing painfully the dream that is America can never be fulfilled. Without mockery, Finkel lays bare what drives people to believe the lies the T*ump spouts. It makes for heart-breaking but necessary reading. Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the opportunity to preview this book.

I was interested in reading this book because the title caught my eye. America does feel very divided right now but instead of writing about it in broad terms, the author took the point of view of just a few individuals. The strength of this is to really get to know the individuals and take some time to explore how they came to have the political opinions they have. From this standpoint, this book is very satisfying. The strain between Brett, a war veteran, and his neighbor Michael, seems pretty much on point an example of the difficulties America is going through right now. I was glad the author took the time to spool out why Michael feels the way he does instead of leaving him as some sort of one-dimensional character.
So why just four stars and not five? I didn't care for the way the book was written, at times it seemed jumbled for reasons that didn't particularly make sense to me.

An American Dreamer is the story of one man, Brent Cummings - - Iraqi War veteran, husband, father, suburban homeowner - - set against the backdrop of the Trump administration and the tensions springing from it. Cummings tries to be a good man in his public and private life, and Finkel shows him as he constantly inquires of himself what that means in today's world.

I found the narrative engaging as Cummings addresses his challenges - - among them, a neighbor who is firmly in the MAGA camp - - but in the end the book felt a little light. You won't find any startlingly new insights or powerful policy recommendations here, just an elegy of sorts for the America of endless opportunity and impartial justice we all once dreamed of.

In American Dreamer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Finkel explores the fractured terrain of our country through the eyes of an Iraq war veteran (who also appeared in Finkel's previous work, The Good Soldiers). The author immersed himself in Brett Cunningham's life from 2016 until 2021, ending up with a description of an interconnected group of people with varying political views and life circumstances.

Brett's PTSD and his horrific war experiences color his view of the world after his return. He is disturbed by the fact that he has come home from one fight only to experience another at home, and in his view, it's a fight that seems to be grounded in an enormous amount of privilege. Brett watches conservatives grow more conservative, and talk openly about fighting and violence, while living lives of relative ease compared to people in the Middle East. In one particularly poignant scene in Jerusalem, Brett talks with a Palestinian woman who must cross into Jerusalem at a checkpoint in the "security wall" erected by Israel which runs between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Brett compares this to the wall that Trump wants to build, and notes with sadness the dehumanization that occurs when people are forced to cross from the "wrong" side to the "right." Americans talk so easily about the wall, but when it involves real people in real circumstances, it's very different.

Since 2016, several major news outlets have published extended stories about America's political divide (sometimes derided as "speaking to white men in diners"). This story is different, partially because it follows its subjects over a period of several years and partially because the format allows Finkel to bring in many points of view and circumstances. I couldn't help but think that MAGA Republicans will probably not like this book, because Trump, through Brett's eyes, is not viewed sympathetically. However, I felt that Finkel treated the people and viewpoints in the book fairly and respectfully, I was frustrated that the book was so short; in under 200 pages it was necessary to give short shrift to some of people and circumstances, particularly Brett's family and the cadets under his care when he taught military science. At the end, I was left feeling a little depressed - there was no happy ending because there isn't a happy ending. But at least we can be glad that there are still people who dream.

Books that purport to speak on life in a divided country should have something to say. An American Dreamer, written by a Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur genius, obstinately sits on the fence and refuses to make any insightful or compelling points. I find it particularly insidious when writers from major media institutions attempt American empire apologia, especially when they make their cases via the "Average Joe."

This book follows the rather dull life of Brent Cummings, a retired Army veteran with two key professional details: he served in Iraq during the height of the surge and worked in Jerusalem helping their apartheid regime train Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank. His experiences working in the military are revisited during periodic flashbacks. We get glimpses into his wife Laura's life as well, particularly as she assists an ailing mother and their mentally-disabled daughter Meredith. These brief portions of the book are treated as after-thoughts and limit our understanding of Laura.

Great pains are taken to paint the couple as regular, not-racist, middle-class white Americans. The couple, separately, encounter casually racist people (a repairman talking about Indians when discussing an off-kilter oven, a grocery store employee emphasizing the "white" in white American cheese while an Asian woman is in earshot.) Brent and Laura react in ways that indicate their discomfort with these microaggressions.

More notably, Brent teaches military science at the University of North Georgia and manages hundreds of ROTC students, primarily when they transgress. The beginning of the book mostly focuses on his job as he handles two separate incidents; one involves Dante, a Black cadet who took an unflattering picture of an army major in a public bathroom, and the other involves Jesse, a white cadet, who crashed his truck in a drunk driving incident, miraculously avoiding serious injury to himself and his girlfriend despite the truck flipping multiple times. Dante was at risk of being kicked out of the ROTC program and never being allowed to join the army. Jesse was likely to have the drunk driving charge reduced to reckless driving due to how polite and respectful he was to the responding officer. By the end of their separate sagas, Jesse, without actually knowing him, puts his arm around and comforts a crying Dante who believes his hope of being allowed into the military is quashed, as all the other passing cadets had just received their paperwork and went through their respective ceremonies. (At the 11th hour, Dante receives his contracting paperwork to enter the army.)

Throughout this entire ordeal, Brent clearly feels badly for Dante and wants to see him succeed. He recognizes that Dante is being treated differently because he is Black. The decision, ultimately, is not up to Brent. In Jesse, he sees a younger version of himself, identifying with his "knucklehead" behavior. Also present, however, is the added issue of the young man running a rifle club on campus whose insignia is a direct homage to the Confederate flag. Brent seeks to eliminate the use of their insignia on campus but ultimately fails at getting it completely removed from rifle club activities.

The reason why this book is such insidious propaganda is because the embrace between Dante and Jesse aims to assure us, the audience, that if these two young men of such different stock can get along, then this country can bridge its major divides. This ignores the fact that Jesse does not actually know Dante, and Dante does not know the man embracing him proudly wears a Confederate insignia on his uniform. In this moment, however, they are "brothers.”

Brent's time in Jerusalem provides more cover for noncommittal centrism by detailing his interactions with Tamara, a Palestinian woman co-worker who he drives to and from work --although not all of the way home, however, as oppressive security checkpoints prevent her from being dropped off at home by car. He also interacts with Rinat, an Israeli woman who shares concerns about neighborhood reports of rocks coming over the wall from the neighboring Palestinian village. Both women share with Brent that they feel hated because of their identities. The security wall separating Jerusalem and the West Bank gets he-said/she-said descriptors: Israel says it's necessary for security after the Second Intifada. Palestinians call it "a wall of segregation, of annexation, of apartheid." This entire chapter legitimizes colonization and imperialism while painting this as a conflict between two mutually-oppressed sides. Brent fears that, despite the cultural differences between living in Jerusalem and America, this division will come to the United States next. It is treated as a stunning revelation, as opposed to the half-baked understanding of a bureaucrat to empire.

The rest of the book finds Brent navigating the Trump years, as he and Laura are horrified by the results of the 2016 election and the subsequent months and years. Much space — too much space — is afforded to reprinting Trump's tweets. Brent's disgust with the man reflects the beliefs of many others — his nattering about the border wall, mocking the disabled and veterans who were captured —-and his stance finds himself on the opposing side of his neighbor, Michael, a disabled white man suffering from quadriplegia, who, as the book progresses, pledges an increasing fealty to Trump after casting an "anti-Hillary" vote in 2016. Brent and Mike go from having friendly neighborly chats to a major argument that causes a rift that is never fully healed.

Michael's perspective is another primary point-of-view we get in the book. A self-identified "far right conservative" who owns numerous guns, Michael's story mostly revolves around navigating the world as a disabled person and his relationship with his wife Ann, who was his nurse after the accident that led to his paralysis. His belief that the Democratic Party and Marxists are overtaking the country and ruining everything it stands for, falls neatly within today’s mainstream conservative orthodoxy. Michael's inclusion in the book is to make Brent look better. Brent has voted Republican his entire life but even he can understand the plight of a Black person (if that person is attempting to join the military) and that the rule of law is sacrosanct. Brent understands the severity of the coronavirus and although his wife expresses some trepidation that the George Floyd uprisings will spill over into their quiet suburb, they never at any point express disgust or hatred for the protesters. Michael begrudgingly wears a mask to vote because he doesn’t want to get kicked out of the poll site. MAGA conservatives would likely balk at this book and never finish it because of how much it criticizes Trump. This framing also accomplishes the task of painting Trump as a mistake, a hiccup in an otherwise long line of Constitution-respecting presidents.

The book culminates in the 2020 election and the January 2021 insurrection with Brent's PTSD-prompted night terrors now occurring in the daytime as he is overcome with panic once he leaves a shooting range. For a book that has "life in a divided country" in its title, it is shockingly shallow in its coverage of Americans' varied reactions to the George Floyd uprisings and the COVID-19 pandemic, two events that revealed the yawning chasms in American life. Brent's work with the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program gives us the closest glimpse into the Floyd protests. The less said about this passage, where Brent defensively writes a letter in support of his organization's work training police in Israel and the States, the better. A petition circulates to terminate GILEE's contract with the university and a protest is held, on the grounds that they are assisting Palestinian apartheid and stamping out civil rights both at home and abroad. Brent sees the petition as a direct attack on himself and an accusation of racism.

I was left empty by book's end. I do not know what it is looking to accomplish. Myriad articles and cable news segments have been devoted to gauging the opinion of everymen in American diners over the years. Cutting insights are never gleaned from such pieces, yet the media keeps pumping them out. This book is an extra-long version of those segments. You can fool yourself into thinking you're reading fiction at times, as Finkel's prose does generally keep things moving, but this is unfortunately the only positive thing I can say about it. The pursuit of objectivity often comes at the expense of historical accuracy and a cogent analysis of power. We should always question why certain stories are chosen to be told and platformed by major publishers, particularly when the subjects are so unremarkable.

I am sorry, but only read 80 percent of this book and I couldn’t finish it. I found it incredibly one sided in the presentation of its argument. My understanding was, that this book was about the most likely reasons the Country is divided.. The main character’s account was by a military veteran, and his views on what he thought what is going wrong in the Country. I don’t doubt his word, I just feel there was not enough counter argument presented. I noticed several statements made, that were presented before by the press already, were fact checked and proven false, only to be repeated in the book. Didn’t care for the writing style for it seemed amateurish and simplistic. I agree our Country is divided but this book does not portray, what I believe, most Americans think the problems are. I am not going to turn this review into a political debate, but I don’t think it is all that factual. There are two sides to every story.