Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic, by Jonathan Freedland (Fourth Estate, £6.99 in UK)

Apparently this book has created a stir in Britain, at which of course it is primarily aimed; its relevance to this country is…

Apparently this book has created a stir in Britain, at which of course it is primarily aimed; its relevance to this country is limited. Jonathan Freedland spent four years travelling about the US as the Guardian's Washington correspondent, and he came to feel that his fellow-countrymen had many wrong ideas about America and Americans. That is scarcely a novel thesis, but he develops it partly along historical lines, pointing out that Britain originally exported egalitarian, revolutionary ideas to America and now should learn from her in turn. He argues his case well, though present US foreign policy hardly suggests a model for leftists or radicals.