Description
Book SynopsisOffers a fresh explanation for Reconstruction's demise and a case for its essential successes as well as its great failures. Indeed, this book demonstrates the extent to which the victors' aims in 1865 were met - and at what cost.
Trade ReviewAn overall framework for understanding the key problems of the period. . . . This is an important book, providing food for thought, if only because, tonally as well as substantively, it offers a counterpoint to the dominant narrative." -
Journal of the Civil War Era"A valuable resource for scholars who teach in the field of Reconstruction." -
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society"No short review can do this rich book justice." -
Arkansas Historical Quarterly"Summers's rich and careful new history of Reconstruction stands out in a crowded field....[His] mastery of the sources has allowed him to write an impressively thorough history of the period, and to pull together diverse strains with uncommon sophistication." -
H-Net Reviews"Readers interested in Reconstruction will find Summers' book to be a rollicking, deeply researched overview....[A] colorful guide to the politics of the era." -
Journal of Interdisciplinary History"Summers has devoted almost half a century to a study of the period, and it shows." -
Blue & Gray Magazine"Effectively captures the turmoil and frustrations of the era. . . . [and] shows how economic woes affected Reconstruction's prospects." -
Publishers Weekly"Skillfully written and a benefit to students, scholars, and those fascinated with the postwar years." -
Southwestern Historical Quarterly"A superb spinner of tales. . . . An important book, full of details and insights, and it deserves serious attention." -
Journal of Southern History"Marvelously written." -
CHOICE"A new narrative of the period featuring novel interpretations and sparkling insight." -
North Carolina Historical Review
