Matthew Davis’s new book, A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore, was published by Macmillan in November 2025. The book offers a full history of Mount Rushmore; from its beginnings as sacred Lakota land to the political decisions that led to the carving of the presidential faces. Davis traces the monument’s geology, the controversies surrounding its creation, and the shifting cultural meaning it has carried into its 100th year.
The book looks closely at the conflicting stories that surround the memorial and the ways they reflect broader questions about American identity and national memory.
Davis also discusses the book in a recent episode of the Upstart Crow podcast.
He is the author of When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter's Tale, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and other publications. Davis is the Founding Director of the Cheuse Center.
December 02, 2025