Made in USA: The Secret Histories of the Things That Made America

From the Ames shovel and the Bowie knife to the Cadillac and the Macintosh, the objects Americans love have been more than tools. ”How did devices become the vehicles of our desires?” Esquire columnist Patton asks and then answers in Made in USA, a book so rich in ideas and anecdotes it would be intimidating if it weren’t so much fun. The stories behind items such as guns, sewing machines, and cash registers turn out to be part of a larger history of ”the ‘American system’ of manufacture,” based on the use of identical, interchangeable parts that made mass production possible. The entrepreneurs then had to convince consumers that mass-produced objects could enhance their status as unique individuals — hence the tradition of customizing a product through the availability of options. Patton tells this quintessentially American tale with intelligence and zest. A