In "Fantasyland," Kurt Andersen embarks on an ambitious journey through the winding corridors of American history, tracing the nation's fascination with the fantastical. With the precision of a historian and the flair of a storyteller, Andersen unravels how the United States, from its inception, has been a breeding ground for dreamers, schemers, and true believers. He posits that the roots of today's post-truth, "fake news" era stretch far back, deeply entwined with the American identity. Through a captivating narrative, Andersen maps out how the pursuit of the extraordinary has shaped the American ethos, from the witch trials of Salem to the glittering falsities of Hollywood, from the eccentricities of P.T. Barnum to the wild frontiers of the Internet age. Andersen's exploration is not just a chronicle but a critique, examining the fine line between healthy imagination and dangerous fantasy. He delves into how America's enduring love affair with the implausible has propelled its greatest achievements and nurtured its most perilous myths. "Fantasyland" is a provocative reflection on American exceptionalism, suggesting that the nation's greatest strength and most glaring weakness are one and the same: an unshakeable belief in the unbelievable. Andersen challenges readers to confront the consequences of living in a land where freedom includes the liberty to disbelieve the real and embrace the fantastic.