2026 One Book South Dakota Author, Matthew Davis: An Introduction
The selection for this year’s One Book South Dakota – A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore – is a work of historical nonfiction written by author Matthew Davis. The biography of Matthew Davis – and his reasons for writing this year’s One Book selection – are as unique as the monument about which he wrote. A talented writer who has stories to share from all over the globe, he is also the founder of the Cheuse Center for International Writers at George Mason University.
Having earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa and an MA in International Relations from the highly prestigious John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Davis has also served as a Fulbright Fellow to Syria and Jordan and a fellow at the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV. Broadening conversations is, therefore, second nature to the author, and his telling of the story of Mount Rushmore is yet another example of his ability to tell a story through a broadened lens, using a combination of history, reportage, and essay writing to tell a complicated and sometimes controversial story about a monument known to most as a “shrine to democracy.” But this was not something he’d planned on writing…not until a speech made by President Trump at Mount Rushmore made him curious not only about the history of the memorial, but – as the author himself has said – “the broader historical debates our country is having as we move toward celebrating our 250th birthday.”
Davis has shared that the process of bringing this book to fruition took about five years from idea to publication, and that the biggest challenge in doing so wasn’t about telling the history of the memorial and/or the monument, but in locating people in the present time to talk about the meaning and impact of Mount Rushmore, particularly on the Black Hills area and the people to whom it has been home over hundreds of years. In an interview with Writer’s Digest, he stated that he thought he would be writing a history book until the 2024 election season when “it became clear that the issues of American history would be pertinent, and the book became less about the past and more a book about the present.” In that same interview, Davis shared that his hope for those reading the book is two-fold: that they come to appreciate the beauty and history of the Black Hills, but also that they come to think of Mount Rushmore – and other historical monuments and memorials – in a different way, developing an understanding of their complexity and nuanced meanings.
A Biography of a Mountain has received critical acclaim across the board. Kirkus Reviews calls it “A meaningful read that wrestles with the complexity of American history and its presentation.” The South Dakota Humanities Council agrees wholeheartedly, and we are proud to share it with you as the 2026 One Book South Dakota.
To learn more about South Dakota’s 2026 One Book author, Matthew Davis, visit his website at https://www.matthewdaviswriter.com/. If your book club would like to read and discuss the 2026 One Book South Dakota, copies are available for loan through our Lending Library/Book Club to Go Program. For more information, visit our website at https://sdhumanities.org/book-club-to-go/