Reviews
Praise for Madison and Jefferson "[A] satisfyingly rich dual biography [that] promotes Madison from junior partner to full-fledged colleague of the 'more magnetic' Jefferson. . . . An important, thoughtful, and gracefully written political history from the viewpoint of the young nation's two most intellectual founding fathers." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Extensive and well researched . . . [A]n important reappraisal of a critical partnership that shaped our early republic." --Jay Freeman Praise for Fallen Founder "Isenberg's meticulous biography reveals a gifted lawyer, politician, and orator who championed civility in government and even feminist ideals, in a political climate that bears a marked resemblance to our own." -- The Washington Post "Full of insight and new research. It is an important and engaging account." --The New York Times Book Review "[A] sterling biography." --The Boston Globe, "An eloquent synthesis of the country's history of class stratification, one that questions whether the United States is indeed a place where all are created equal. White Trash powerfully unites four centuries of history--economic, political, cultural, and pseudo-scientific--to show how thoroughly the notion of class is woven into the national fabric." -- The Boston Globe "An eloquent volume that is more discomforting and more necessary than a semitrailer filled with new biographies of the founding fathers and the most beloved presidents . . . This estimable book rides into the summer doldrums like rural electrification."-- Dwight Garner, The New York Times "[ White Trash ] sheds bright light on a long history of demagogic national politicking, beginning with Jackson. It makes Donald Trump seem far less unprecedented than today's pundits proclaim."-- Slate "Isenberg . . . has written an important call for Americans to treat class with the same care that they now treat race. . . . Her work may well help that focus lead to progress." --TIME magazine "With the election looming, this eye-opening investigation into our country's entrenched social hierarchy is acutely relevant." - O Magazine "With her strong academic background and accessible voice, Isenberg takes pains to reveal classism's deep-seated roots." - Entertainment Weekly , "Must List" "[ White Trash ] is a carefully researched indictment of a particularly American species of hypocrisy, and it's deeply relevant to the pathologies of contemporary America."-- Christian Science Monitor "What makes people whom Trump has never cared about before this election so eager to see him as their spokesman? What in tarnation do they see in his vague bluster and thinly coded racist remarks? For answers to these and other questions, look no further than Nancy Isenberg's fascinating and unsettling new book . . . [a] meticulously researched survey of the class system in America."-- Atlanta Journal Constitution "Here is a book that should forever change the way we think and talk about class, which Isenberg suggests is the rotting stage upon which American democracy will either stand or fall." -- The American Scholar "It's a contentious subject that deserves a larger academic discussion. With any luck, Isenberg's White Trash will serve as the opening arguments from which a broader discussion arises."-- PopMatters, "Formidable and truth-dealing...necessary." - The New York Times "This eye-opening investigation into our country's entrenched social hierarchy is acutely relevant." - O Magazine "A gritty and sprawling assault on...American mythmaking." --Washington Post "An eloquent synthesis of the country's history of class stratification." -The Boston Globe "A bracing reminder of the persistent contempt for the white underclass." -The Atlantic "[ White Trash ] sheds bright light on a long history of demagogic national politicking, beginning with Jackson. It makes Donald Trump seem far less unprecedented than today's pundits proclaim."-- Slate "Isenberg . . . has written an important call for Americans to treat class with the same care that they now treat race...Her work may well help that focus lead to progress." --TIME "With her strong academic background and accessible voice, Isenberg takes pains to reveal classism's deep-seated roots." -Entertainment Weekly "Carefully researched...deeply relevant." -Christian Science Monitor