Blunt Instruments

Praise

“With this much-needed book, even readers already engaging in more holistic history-telling will find meaningful ways to level up their critical thinking.”
—Booklist, Starred Review

“Hass offers a powerful exposé of the persistence of race in the ongoing public dialogue about citizenship and belonging.”
—Library Journal

“[An] ultra-compelling book . . . With this much-needed book, even readers already engaging in more holistic history-telling will find meaningful ways to level up their critical thinking.”
—Publishers Weekly

“If you have ever wanted to understand how and why monuments work, this stunning book is your decoder ring. Blunt Instruments is a sharp tool for interpreting the racial implications of America’s cultural and physical landscape, from the town square to the National Mall. Bursting with keen insights rendered in a lively, conversational tone, Kristin Hass’s timely guide breaks down the hidden meanings behind monuments, museums, and patriotic traditions, revealing not only that no act of memorialization can ever be neutral but also that the claim of neutrality is itself a weapon of cultural combat.”
—Tiya Miles, author of All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake

“In Blunt Instruments, Kristin Hass deftly interrogates the hidden messages—those clearly understood but rarely spoken aloud—that shape what it means to be American today. It is a fascinating, urgent, eye-opening, and necessary read, offering a vision for a nation where all can thrive.”
—Mark Clague, author of O Say Can You Hear? A Cultural Biography of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

“For anyone and everyone interested in creating a more socially just world, this is essential reading! Blunt Instruments is an indispensable field guide that helps us all to understand and navigate debates surrounding memorials and monuments, museums, and everyday patriotic practices that have rocked our nation. Kristin Hass provides concise historical context, new language, and a powerful analysis that makes it impossible to see or unsee the world around us in the same way ever again. The lesson of this book is clear: cultural infrastructure plays a huge role in maintaining crushing inequities.  Once we understand this, we can and must contribute to challenging and changing it.”
—Dr. Lisa Yun Lee, executive director, National Public Housing Museum, and Associate Professor of Public Practice and Museum Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago