“A world-class intellectual. . . . [Colin Woodard’s] research can help Americans rediscover their common identity in spite of all the attempts to divide them.” —Garry Kasparov

“A lucid exercise in political geography with tremendous—and disturbing—explanatory power.” —Kirkus Reviews

The bestselling author of American Nations reveals how centuries-old regional differences have brought American democracy to the brink of collapse and presents a powerful story that can bridge our cultural divisions and save the republic.

From the publisher: "With groundbreaking original data and historical insights, Nations Apart, Woodard's most recent publication, is an essential guide to understanding why Americans are so divided on many hot button issues, creating geographic fissures that have been exploited by authoritarians. Colin Woodard shows how colonial era settlement patterns and the cultural geography they left behind are at the root of our political polarization, economic inequality, public health crises, and democratic collapse."

This program is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of the author. For questions or directions to the library, visit freeportlibrary.com or call 207-865-3307. 

Colin Woodard, a New York Times bestselling author, historian, and award-winning journalist, is director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. He is the author of seven books that have been translated into a dozen languages and have inspired an NBC television drama. A longtime foreign correspondent, he reported from more than fifty countries on seven continents and, as an investigative reporter at Maine’s Portland Press Herald, won a 2012 George Polk Award and was a finalist for a 2016 Pulitzer Prize. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Politico, The Washington Post, The Economist, Smithsonian, and dozens of other major publications. He lives in Maine.