Description
Book SynopsisThe story of the dramatic postwar struggle over the proper role of citizens and government in American society.
Trade Review"Elegantly argued and meticulously documented…Sabin makes his case intelligently and forcefully." -- Timothy Noah, New York Times Book Review
"Crisp, clear, eloquent, and carefully focused on the political changes of the 1970s." -- Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic
"Carefully researched and patiently argued." -- Louis Menand, New Yorker
"There is a stereotype of the cleavage in American politics, which is that Democrats want to use the government to do big things, and Republicans don’t, and that is the fight. But if you look more deeply…there’s a bit of a divided Democratic soul here…There’s a great new book on this called
Public Citizens by Paul Sabin." -- Ezra Klein on The Ezra Klein Show
"[Sabin's] cogent history is timely and likely to be enduring. An insightful and squirm-inducing account of how the good guys won and then lost." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Sabin crafts a coherent historical narrative out of the alphabet soup of government agencies and public interest groups, and sheds light on major developments in American politics. This deep dive delivers plenty of rewards." -- Publishers Weekly
"This book could not be more timely. Paul Sabin powerfully demonstrates that the liberal postwar order was not only undercut by the rise of the right, but also by an activist left that for good reason decried government’s deafness to citizens’ needs and participation. How best to serve the public interest is the greatest challenge of our time, and we could have no better guide through the historical thicket than Sabin." -- Lizabeth Cohen, author of Saving America's Cities
"Paul Sabin’s history of America’s 1960s and ’70s is directly relevant to the country’s civic, political, and ethical choices in the decades ahead. This is a surprising, insightful, and lastingly useful book." -- James Fallows, author of Our Towns
"Astute and nuanced, Paul Sabin uses Ralph Nader and the public interest movement he helped spawn to tell a fascinating story of American governance and the limits of markets, regulation, and citizen action." -- Richard White, author of Railroaded
"Paul Sabin has written a fascinating account of the forgotten history of public interest liberalism. Looking back at Ralph Nader and allied good government warriors, Sabin offers a powerful reminder that the attack on big government didn’t just come from the right but the left as well." -- Julian Zelizer, author of Burning Down the House
"Long before 'the Reagan Revolution,' an army of citizen activists launched a searing attack on liberalism, big government, and the administrative state—and helped pave the way for market-oriented conservatism. Paul Sabin’s timely, provocative, and deeply ironic account should be required reading for everyone interested in environmentalism, consumerism, political economy, and the 1970s." -- Laura Kalman, author of The Long Reach of the Sixties
