Wasps: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy

An examination of WASP culture through the lives of some of its most prominent figures. Envied and lampooned, misunderstood and yet distinctly American, WASPs are as much a culture, socioeconomic and ethnic designation, and state of mind.

Charming, witty, and vigorously researched, WASPS traces the rise and fall of this distinctly American phenomenon through the lives of prominent icons from Henry Adams to Theodore Roosevelt, from George Santayana to John Jay Chapman, from Babe Paley to Edie Sedgwick. Envied and lampooned, misunderstood and yet distinctly American, WASPs are as much a culture, socioeconomic and ethnic designation, and state of mind

Throughout this dynamic story, Beran chronicles the efforts of WASPs to use their position to better the world around them, as well as the struggles of these WASPs to break free from their restrictive culture. The death of George H. W. Bush brought about reflections on the end of patrician WASP culture, where privilege reigned, but so did a genuine desire to use that privilege for public service.

As we examine the post-Trump era, many look at the John Kerry, Bobby Kennedy, and Philip and Kay Grahams of the world with wistfulness. And even though we are a more diverse and pluralistic nation now than ever before, there is something about WASP culture that remains aspirational and fascinating.

Beginning at the turn of the 20th century, Beran's saga dramatizes the evolving American aristocracy that forever changed a nation--and what we can still glean from WASP culture in the twenty-first century.