Rezensionen 339 Werner Kremp and Wolfgang Toennesmann (Hrsgg.), Lexikon der populären Amerikabilder. (Atlantische Texte, Band 30). Trier: Wissenschaftliche Verlag, 2008. Daniel J. Leab This is a fun book. It is a pleasure to read. Moreover, its makeup allows the reader to selectively browse the subjects of interest. And it certainly can be worthwhile perusing those topics that do not immediately strike a reader’s fancy. This book, although it calls itself a Lexikon, certainly is more than just a dictionary or encyclopedia overview of a variety of popular images of the United States. In 42 entries, 22 scholars who have written about the country or have studied there or otherwise have an academic interest in the U.S. intelligently, cogently, and some times wittily deal with a remarkable variety of subjects ranging from Americanization (“Amerikanisierung”) to the Wild West (“Wilder Westen”). Among the topics dealt with in terms of their relationship to American developments are Catholicism, Jews, MacDonald’s, and Wall Street. The authors represent a cross section of German language academics of various ages and backgrounds and include both more venerable and honored emeritus scholars such as Berndt Ostendorff (“Kulturlosigkeit”) and Winfried Hergt (“Puritanismus und Prüderie”) as well as younger up and coming types like Michael Butter, writing on investigative journalism. A number of the authors deal with more than one subject. Jakob Schissler, who is associated with the Johann Wolfgang Goethe- Universität in Frankfurt a.M. and lives in Finland, wrote five articles including the ones on dishwashers (“Tellerwäscher”) and universities (“Universitäten”). Editor Werner Kemp, the “Founding Father und Direktor der Atlantischen Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz in Kaiserslautern” and the force behind the series and this book, handles well a kaleidoscopic group of eight subjects, including cowboy mentality, the role of isolationism in American thought, and the relationship between the German Social Democratic Party and the United States (“SPD und USA”). Most of the articles in this book are three to five pages; some have footnotes and a bibliography, others only have footnotes. All are jargon-free, well thought out, and intellectually very accessible. The contents resonate with the knowledge that their authors bring to their subject, including some very strongly held opinions. They are meant to do so, for as the editors point out in their introduction, they originally considered Lexikon der populären Irrtümer über Amerika as a title for the book (7). But they decided it was vitally necessary to go beyond the prevailing popular wisdom. The editors of this book, in terms of the essays they commissioned, determined that any treatment of the popular beliefs of Americans needed to be examined more thoroughly than just accepting the usual arguments. And in doing so the authors escaped the common negative views of America Variety can lead to a different perspective. The editors felt that through a variety of viewpoints by various critics it was possible to achieve such a perspective: “[D]ie Summe der Bilder […] die, zusammengelegt wie ein Puzzle, ein einigermaßen richtiges Bild ergibt.” ( 7). In pursuit of this goal, each article begins with a statement of a generally held view of their subject that often is questioned in the final analysis. The conventional assumptions are offered in an italicized statement right after the title Rezensionen 340 of the essay, and while what follows may not always prove them to be totally in error, the essay certainly does raise questions about them and is not just an echo of past judgments. Editor Wolfgang Toennesmann’s well crafted article on American conservatism, which at eight pages is longer than most in the book, states in its heading that the U.S. is a conservative country; but after an intense, wide-ranging, and intelligently argued overview of American cultural and political developments over the last third of the 20 th century he correctly assesses that conservatism is on the wane. And the results of the 2006 and 2008 elections bear out his smartly-reasoned judgment as he quotes the American sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset: “Da aber alle Trends einmal an ihr Ende gelangen, wird es diesem wahrscheinlich ebenso ergehen ( 89).” In the introduction the editors discuss the various ways that the United States has been seen by Europeans, and specifically by Germans. The editors feel that many of those who have written about the United States have failed to understand that it is more like a continent than a single country, and that it therefore incorporates many different aspects. The poet Walt Whitman once said that he incorporated “multitudes within himself,” and it seems to me that this is how the editors of this book and its contributors see America. They also realize that there is not one monolithic Amerikabild, whether it be pro or con. Much of their approach can be summed up in Jakob Schissler’s opening sentence in his attractive essay on “Wilder Westen,” in which he responds to the statement that “[D]er wilde Westen ist das wahre Amerika” by asserting: “Die Antwort auf unsere Frage ist ganz einfach zu geben: Ja und Nein” (193). The editors of this book in my opinion did accomplish what they set out to do in dealing with the United States. Their goal was, it seems to me, not to repeat what numerous others in many parts of the world had undertaken but, as they put it, without the burden of a scholarly apparatus, yet in an approach which is scholarly, sound, and substantial, to present a complex but not complicated picture of the United States. To present one that is simplistic, as has all too often been done in the past they feel, is, as they put it, “eine ständige Gefahr” ( 12). The need for complexity in depicting life in America can be seen in various essays. Christian Lammert’s comments on “Soziale Sicherheit” in his short but perceptive essay touch on the problems that arise from the increasing economic disparity in the U.S. He does not gainsay the problem but points out that recent U.S. administrations have attempted to deal with the fear and risks faced by the elderly and the unemployed; these have not been as successful as they should have been. He argues: “Ingesamt kann also nicht davon gesprochen werden, dass in den USA keine soziale Sicherheit gibt; sie ist allerdings zum Teil sehr ungleich verteilt” ( 144). And he concludes that, whether correctly or not, “aus europäischer Perspektive dadurch der Eindruck entsteht, dass es in den USA keine soziale Sicherheit gibt” (145). The editors of Lexikon der populären Amerikabilder understand that the USA has its problems, that there are some very unpleasant aspects to American life, such as the implementation of the death penalty. But just as with regards to racial discrimination the country has attempted to rectify past and present injustices, so, too, the Lexikon argues, do Americans continue to work constantly to improve their country. The book is a first rate collection of essays that presents interesting views of some Rezensionen 341 contemporary aspects of American life. The editors understand that in effect the book presents a series of snapshots, and in my opinion this is done in the main very well by various intelligent and reasonably open-minded individuals. But it is important to note, as do the editors, that the United States is constantly renewing itself, is undergoing continual transformation, and that it is important to understand that although the book presents a fascinating series of images, it would be wrong to believe that we are “im Besitz des wahren Wesens Amerikas” ( 12). This point of view is one of the strengths of the book. And all of us, in the U.S. and the rest of the world, should heed the editors’ warning that the image of America will continue to change, not least because of internal developments in the U.S. We must, as the editors urge, continue to ask questions “deren Antwort man noch nicht kennt” (12). Altogether, these essays are a provocative, well-done, intelligent, and insightful introduction to a series of topics which underlie American life today and have contributed to the historical development of the contemporary image of the USA. The editors have put together a splendid book. Students will benefit from reading it. The interested layperson will find it very worthwhile. Even experts can learn from it. The Lexikon is a very valuable and readable addition to the literature of American Studies. Its essays and their argument deserve attention. Daniel J. Leab Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ, USA