Season 5 Ep 1 | Matt Davis | What does Mount Rushmore tell us about America?

Some Things Considered returns with our fifth season, and we could not be more excited. Episode One features Matthew Davis, with whom I speak about his new book Biography of a Mountain, an in-depth examination of Mt. Rushmore as both a monument and a metaphor for America. Drawing on years of research and personal engagement with the Black Hills, Davis unpacks the layered histories, mythologies, and political tensions embedded in this iconic site.

We cover a ton of ground, and highlights include:

• Why Mt. Rushmore: How Davis realized this was the book he needed to write — and why the mountain mirrors the American story.

• Many Americas: Mt. Rushmore as a metaphor for the evolving, often conflicting visions of what “America” means.

• Native history: The mountain’s sacred role long before white settlement, and how Indigenous perspectives were erased or overwritten.

• Power & narrative: Who tells America’s story? Who benefits? Why monuments become battlegrounds.

• Gutzon Borglum: The ambition, ego, and controversy surrounding the monument’s creator — including his troubling political ties.

• Author in the narrative: Why Davis chose to include his own journey, and how personal context strengthens historical storytelling.

• The paradox of monuments: How the same statue symbolizes pride to some and oppression to others — and what that reveals about American identity.

• Relevance in 2025: How Davis’s research unexpectedly speaks to today’s political climate and the weaponization of history.

• Trump, Reagan, and symbolism: The modern fight over commemoration, legacy, and political mythmaking.

• What the mountain teaches us: Reflections on history, country, culture, and narrative itself.

It’s always a pleasure to speak with Matt, whom I consider a good friend, colleague, and source of inspiration. His book could hardly be more timely–and it adds valuable insights for an America that, in 2025, is as complicated and bifurcated as ever.

Matthew Davis is the author of When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter’s Tale. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and Guernica, among other places. He has been an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellow at New America, a Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV, and a Fulbright Fellow to Syria and Jordan. He holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa and an MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Davis lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, a diplomat, and their two young kids.

ABOUT MATT DAVIS

Website: matthewdaviswriter.com

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ABOUT SOME THINGS CONSIDERED

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

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