Making patriots

The founding principles of the United States - freedom, autonomy, individual rights, and democratic dissent - often sit in opposition to the patriotic ideals of public spirit and self-sacrifice.

But American history reveals scores of citizens who have put the good of the nation above their own self-interest, whether at home or on Omaha Beach.

It is this paradox that Walter Berns tackles with this magnificently argued book: what makes patriots? And is it still possible to make them?