Our Towns has been named to Five Books‘ list of Best Books on America’s Increasingly Challenged Position in World Affairs. Ali Wyne, a foreign policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, compiled the list to help people better understand America’s current role in the world.

He put the book on the list, Wyne reported, “Because it affirms what makes America a superpower, the idea that the country can rebuild itself and that its polity is resilient.”

He says of James and Deborah Fallows, “Their book gives me a sense of optimism about America’s capacity for reinvention. They have a good sense for taking the pulse of the country.”