Liberalism and Its Discontents

Noted historian, professor at Columbia University, and winner of the American Book Award for History, Alan Brinkley has collected 17 essays written over the past two decades for Liberalism and Its Discontents. The assembled essays constitute a very informed, well-written, and engaging look at major issues in 20th-century American history. Beginning with Roosevelt and the New Deal, Brinkley is able to focus on major characters and trends while also exploring some very interesting side roads. Along with essays on major themes (such as the New Deal or the legacy of World War II), he brings his considerable insight and writing ability to an analysis of modern political conventions and to profiles of characters as diverse as Allard Lowenstein and Oral Roberts. Written in a lucid and entertaining style, this is serious history that is a pleasure to read. --Robert McNamara