So what's the best in America?

"The best American novel you've never read."  That's what BBC radio called Stoner, by John Williams.  I was immediately intrigued. How does the BBC know my reading habits so well?  How do they know I prefer Brit Lit and have given a pass to many great American novels, such as The Old Man and the Sea, East of Eden, and The Sound and the Fury?  I immediately googled Stoner and read a few reviews.  Sure enough, I have neglected yet another great American novel.  I will now don sackcloth and ashes to portray my shame.

It's not that I enjoy professing ignorance in this area, it's that time is short and I must pick my pleasures with care.  I prefer Hardy to Hemmingway in the same way I prefer dark chocolate to white.  The first gives me a deep, visceral pleasure.  The second merely leaves a cloying blandness on the tongue.  I will not apologize for my palate.  I may have missed out on a hefty tome or two, but America has many great and wonderful things. I have discovered some "Best American (fill in the blanks)" on my own that I will now share with you.

The Best American Opera You've Never Seen - The Aspern Papers, by Dominic Argento.  This is an exquisitely lovely work that deserves to enter the repertoire of major opera houses and stick around for awhile.  The music is lush and romantic, a bit Straussian, and the story involves a love triangle, a composer, and his missing music.  Listen to this opening aria sung by Susan Graham and then beg your local opera company to stage it.

The Best American Band You've Never Listened To - Whisper Sands, featuring Catherine and Andrew Streeter.  Yes, they are my daughter and son-in-law, but there is no nepotism here, truly.  They have a natural, stripped-down acoustic sound with vocals so pure it will tug at your heart strings.  Take a listen to their Christmas album here, and tell them mom sent you!

The Best American BBQ Chicken You've Never Eaten - My mother's.

The Best American Art Collection You've Never Heard Of - The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.  This is the finest collection of post-impressionist modern art in the world.  It contains 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, and 46 Picassos among it's 800 paintings.  It was collected by Dr. Albert Barnes in the early decades of the 20th century and is now estimated to be worth more than 25 billion dollars.  For years it was virtually closed to the public as Dr. Barnes intended it to be an educational institution for art students.  Last year it moved to a new building and is now open to all who care to take a peek.

The Best American Woman You Never Dated - Me!  I'm a good musician, generous to a fault, and I can cook my mom's BBQ chicken.  What's not to love?

The Best American Holiday You've Never Celebrated - Casimir Pulaski Day.  Celebrated the first Monday in March in the state of Illinois, this holiday honors the Polish soldier Casimir Pulaski who fought against the British in the Revolutionary War.  He never set foot in Illinois, which didn't even exist yet, but Illinois school children get the day off anyway.

The Best American Dream We Haven't Realized - "Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…" Sound familiar?  These words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty have been a dream to hundreds of millions of souls who long for a better life.  Yet for some reason we build fences, discriminate based on race, accent, or skin color, and marginalize those who are different.  We are reluctant to share the abundance of our country, insisting that there is not enough to go around, or that those in need are somehow unworthy.

In the spirit of all that is best in America, let's be neighbors, not strangers.  Let's be inclusive, not separatists.  Let's treat all with the love and dignity they deserve as human beings so that they, too, can say, "Here is the Best American …"

Lady Liberty