Many policymakers, journalists, and scholars insist that US hegemony is essential for warding off global chaos. This book argues that hegemony is a fiction propagated to support a large defense establishment, justify American claims to world leadership, and buttress the self-esteem of voters. "A compelling qualitative study. . . . Selling Our Souls powerfully demonstrates that even after healthcare reform, increased access to healthcare is insufficient to level the healthcare field when institutions continue to reproduce durable inequities."---Stefan Timmermans, Social Forces