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The Cracked Bell: America and the Afflictions of Liberty Hardcover – March 3, 2010

by Tristram Riley-Smith (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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The twin concepts of liberty and the free market have been instrumental in shaping American identity. Here, author Tristram Riley-Smith delves into how the perverting of these concepts has led to today’s economic crisis and identity crisis for America.

Including President Obama’s election and initial stimulus package, Riley-Smith takes us on a whirlwind examination of America. For three years, he served in the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. and traveled through-out the country and this outsider’s perspective offers an in-depth look at the state of American culture after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, toxic debts, and the credit crunch. With lively, insightful commentary, careful research, and illuminating personal anecdotes, Riley-Smith uses images like the cracked liberty bell to explain just where things went wrong, and how we can make them right. He touches upon big issues and examines America’s consumer culture, using recognizable icons like Martha Stewart, Giorgio Armani, artist Barbara Kruger, and Wal-Mart.

The Cracked Bell is a timely, accessible exploration of the current finan-cial crisis and a hard look at the America of the twenty-first century. It’s a delightful, thoughtful, and necessary book that takes the reader headlong into the philosophies, icons, and institutions responsible for America’s troubles and what can be done about them.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Skyhorse
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1602397597
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1602397590
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging and ambitious.... In the end a sharp eye, lively pen and a training in anthropology help Mr Riley-Smith to paint a vivid, impressionistic picture of a society constantly pushed and pulled between contradictory impulses.” (The Economist)

About the Author

Tristram Riley-Smith worked as a journalist before going to Cambridge University, where he completed a PhD in social anthropology. In 2002, he took up a three-year posting to the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and has spent much of the first decade of the twenty-first century gathering and analyzing material for The Cracked Bell. He has lectured on the anthropology of art at the Smithsonian Institution and contributed to A Dictionary of Classical Reference in English Poetry, Travellers' Dictionary of Quotations and Macmillan's Encyclopaedia of Art. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the British-American Pilgrims Society. He is married with three sons.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse (March 3, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1602397597
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1602397590
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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Tristram Riley-Smith

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rix Roundtree
5.0 out of 5 stars The Compelling Sound of the Cracked Bell
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2010
Verified Purchase
When discussing America writer Tristram Riley Smith references "E pluribus unum," which is Latin for "Out of many, one." After reading his book The Cracked Bell I began asking myself, "as an American am I a part of many that act as one, or am I one within many, or am I one of many other individuals who would like to believe we are one?" That's the magic of The Cracked Bell, it had me an American trying to figure out just what it means to be an American.

The Cracked Bell is a fascinating read. It's the observations of America from a citizen of the United Kingdom. In reading someone else's observations I realized that there is a lot about my country that I take for granted and there is a lot I did not know. For example, did you know that there is a pattern for the naming of streets and town design and how zip codes fit into all this? There is, and I didn't know that. I even learned about the Cicada. Cicadas are bugs ("bugs? I hate bugs." Sorry, I had to use that line from Brendan Fraser's "The Mummy") that can tell if a nation will be at war or peace...how? Buy the book and find out....it's very interesting.

He also discusses that which we as a nation still have a problem with discussing - race relations. I personally find discussing race unsettling and (sometimes) anger inducing (especially when some want to ignore or discount it). But at the same time I know that in discussing America's growth, progress and power one cannot ignore the plight, contributions and struggles of African, Native and Latino Americans and the unfair treatment that they have endured past and present. Riley-Smith discusses America and race honestly and thoughtfully.

Tristram Riley-Smith writes about absolutely every single aspect of American life and the things that are important to us, the economy, the political system, the financial system, the land, property ownership, technology, automobiles, education, movies, television, music, and the after effects of hurricane Katrina and 9-11.

In writing this book it's obvious that Riley-Smith completely immersed himself into American culture. When you read between the lines you can tell that he was not only fascinated with what he learned about America, he enjoyed learning it. That enjoyment comes across to the reader making the book a wonderful, fun, insightful, enthralling read. He even enjoys American films and references three of my favorites The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, and Brokeback Mountain.

The Cracked Bell is a thought provoking book that will not only have you thinking about America's place in the world (and the 21st century), but all so your place within America. I highly recommend this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Jay C. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Split opinion
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2010
Tristram Riley Smith's The Cracked Bell is a well-written book that reflects thoughtfully on the American national character and important themes in our history. Yet in some respects the reading experience left me a tad flat.

Riley-Smith's subject is Americans' obsession with personal liberty and the tensions and contradictions that entails. He claims there is "something pathological" about it, "an errant side to [the] spirit of liberty." 'Freedom' begets paradox, he says. He sees multiple fundamental incongruities including, for example: tensions between the notion of individual liberty and pressures for social conformity; compulsions to consume, whatever the consequences; the construction of a warrior state to achieve peace; the value placed on innovation, accompanied by toleration of vested privilege in the economy; the maintenance of myths of the wilderness when the geographic frontiers have long vanished; and a veneer of secularism underpinned by a strong attachment to religious values.

His observations are sometimes keen and often expressed with a bit of flash. "Debates over gun laws and abortion demonstrate the paradox facing any society that takes liberty as its dominant ideology," he suggests. "A 'pro-choice' doctor who terminates foetuses to enhance the quality of life -- freedom? -- of young, unmarried, white girls ... has his life taken by a 'pro-life' Christian using a hand-gun whose ready availability is taken as a testament to America's commitment to liberty. There is enough syzygy here to win the World Scrabble Championship." On a different topic, he writes about what he calls America's "Temple of Trade," about how the drive to consume links to the work ethic and puts pressure on family values. In Riley-Smith's words, "The spirit of consumerism -- aerated by the Jeffersonian mandate to pursue 'happiness' -- falls like kerosene on the torch of liberty. While the ensuing conflagration will warm and enlighten many, it must scorch and blind countless others."

With all its merits, why am I not more enthusiastic about The Cracked Bell? For one thing, much (most?) of the material will not be new to students of American history and culture. Riley-Smith readily acknowledges several scholars who have delivered substantial parts of his message before (the bibliography is one of the book's useful features). He draws especially on Michael Kammen (People of Paradox, 1972), for instance, and it is no surprise that Tocqueville merits several references.

Although he was trained as a social anthropologist, it is not clear that the author conducted any particular systematic research outside of the library. While there are hints that he has traveled around the country some, his personal observations seem somewhat skewed toward his connection to Washington, D.C. (where he served three years in the British embassy). One of the virtues of the book is that Riley-Smith offers a British outsider's perspective. But on the other hand, one must be at least a little skeptical about the depth of his direct familiarity with the United States when, to illustrate the abundance of government rules Americans are expected to abide by, he refers to the "Inland" Revenue Service to whom we pay our taxes.

And while Riley-Smith is a good stylist, there is not much sustained narrative here. Rather, what he gives us is a collage of facts, vignettes, and observations, mostly relevant to the points he is trying to make, but not constitutive of a continuous 'story' that might compel our undivided attention. Too often once I understood his general point I was ready to skip past the supporting historical and contemporary detail to get to the next paradox.

This reaction may just be my own problem, I acknowledge, so seeking to be objective I have given the book four stars.
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BWL
1.0 out of 5 stars A poor book
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2010
As someone interested in the the culture and social make up of the the United States, I bought this book after reading its review in the Economist. The author claims to be a social anthropologist and has studied at Cambridge. As such, I looked forward to an enlightening read.

However, after going through about half of the book, I had to put it down, as it is written in an off handed, anecdotal, descriptive manner, that contains almost no substantive analysis. The only good thing about the book was its extensive bibliography.

I don't like complaining about things like this, but this is not a serious publication, and should be avoided. A much better option is Anatol Lieven's highly regarded, "America Right or Wrong: an Anatomy of American Nationalism." (2004)
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

BWL
1.0 out of 5 stars A poor book
Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2010
Verified Purchase
As someone interested in the the culture and social make up of the the United States, I bought this book after reading its review in the Economist. The author claims to be a social anthropologist and has studied at Cambridge. As such, I looked forward to an enlightening read.

However, after going through about half of the book, I had to put it down, as it is written in an off handed, anecdotal, descriptive manner, that contains almost no substantive analysis. The only good thing about the book was its extensive bibliography.

I don't like complaining about things like this, but this is not a serious publication, and should be avoided. A much better option is Anatol Lieven's highly regarded, "America Right or Wrong: an Anatomy of American Nationalism." (2004)
One person found this helpful
 Report