"The bestselling author of American Nations offers a powerful paradigm for understanding the defining hot button issues of contemporary America and the action we can take to bridge our cultural divisions and save the republic. To truly grasp the roots of America's political polarization, economic inequality, public health crises, and democratic collapse, we must examine the country's longstanding regional divides. In Nations Apart, Colin Woodard-an expert on North American regionalism and European ethnonationalism -delves into how centuries-old settlement patterns and the cultural geography they created have shaped today's most contentious policy debates and brought American democracy to the brink. Drawing on original, quantitative research conducted through Woodard's university-based think tank project, Nations Apart offers a fresh perspective on the issues most threatening our national cohesion, including: Guns Health Immigration the History Wars Abortion Climate Change Democracy Authoritarianism Blending groundbreaking original findings from commissioned polls and surveys with new cultural insights into our current reality, Nations Apart offers actionable strategies to bridge the rifts that divide us and points the way toward a more united nation"-- Provided by publisher.