Bunch of amateurs

By Jack Hitt

Subjects: Technological innovations, Research, Scientists, American National characteristics, Amateurism, New York Times reviewed, History, Inventors, American Dream

Description: Beginning with Ben Franklin's kite and leading all the way to the current TV hit "American Idol," Hitt argues that the nation's love of self-invented obsessives has always driven the country to rediscover the true heart of the American dream.