"An impressive achievement. The most comprehensive, comprehensible history of the American 1960s that I
know."
--Todd Gitlin, New York University
"When two accomplished historians of the caliber of Isserman and Kazin turn their talents to a survey of
the Sixties, the result is an engrossing narrative and a highly intelligent analysis of the era's cultural, political,
and social events. I found myself eagerly turning pages to see how they would handle the decade's key actors, moments,
and trends, and was always rewarded with judicious and insightful treatments."
--Lizabeth Cohen, Harvard University
"America Divided is an indispensable history of the 1960s. Isserman and Kazin grapple with the abundant
paradoxes of an era of youthful activism and resurgent conservatism, of sexual revolution and religious revival,
of naive political optimism and growing distrust in government. Their compelling narrative helps make sense of
the most contentious political and cultural debates of our time."
-- Thomas J. Sugrue, University of Pennsylvania
"America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s is a riveting read, brimming with lively anecdotes, original
insights, sharp analysis, and scrupulous scholarship. It is, far and away, the most compelling single volume history
of the 1960s currently available. A superb book."
--Douglas Brinkley, University of New Orleans\
"This is the finest and most comprehensive history of The Sixties ever written. Professors Isserman and
Kazin skillfully combine insightful analysis and captivating narrative to demonstrate how and why that political
and cultural civil war haunts us yet. Their book is therefore more than another history: it is an act of engaged
citizenship."
--Nelson Lichtenstein, University of Virginia
Oxford University Press Web Site, May, 2001
Summary
Exciting and well-balanced narrative of all dimensions of 1960s America.
America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s is the definitive interpretive survey of the political, social, and
cultural history of 1960s America. Written by two top experts on the eraMaurice Isserman, a scholar of the Left,
and Michael Kazin, a specialist in Right-wing politics and culturethis book provides a compelling tale of this
tumultuous era filled with fresh and persuasive insights. Arguing that the period marked the end of the country's
two-century-long ascent toward widespread affluence, domestic consensus, and international hegemony, the authors
take students on a tour of the turbulent decade, exploring what did and did not change in the 1960s and why American
culture and politics have never been the same since. America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s explains what
made the 1960s a decade in which people felt they could make history and why, in the following decades, the history
felt so troubling to Americans. They cover such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Rolling Thunder,
the rise of Motown, Bob Dylan and the Beatles, and the important role played by organizations ranging from the
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to the Campus Crusade for Christ. They also shed some much-needed light
on the eras often overlooked rise of the New Right and its far reaching implications which not only offer a critical
dimension to the understanding of this period but to the future of America as well. Isserman and Kazin offer the
most sophisticated understanding of the key developments of the decade and break new ground with their careful
attention to every aspect of the political and cultural spectrum making America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s
an exciting and essential narrative for both students and general readers alike.
