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Red, White And True: The Great American Biography

What does it mean to be a great American? Ask five of your countrymen, and you'll get five different answers.

For me, it means having some of the qualities that make our nation worth celebrating — like resilience, determination and optimism.

Country legend Johnny Cash, bon vivant George Plimpton and consummate entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. don't have much in common. But their lives have much to tell us about what it means to be a great American.

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Cover: 'Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr.'
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Nathan Rabin