PositivePop MattersShowcases innovative approaches to the major—mostly domestic—events of the recent American past, while providing ample historical grounding for comprehending the nation\'s current state of division and despair ... Kruse and Zelizer write their eminently readable book in a single, clear voice -- no easy task for joint authors ... at times reads like a textbook. But its timeliness and valuable insights will ensure that it will receive a wide readership outside of upper-level college history courses ... Kruse and Zelizer reject polemics and heated language in favor of a prose style that is judicious and fair, and at times, overly anodyne.
David W. Blight
RavePop MattersBlight pulls off the difficult trick of capturing both Douglass\'s outsized greatness and deep humanity. As a result, the historian has produced the most comprehensive and insightful study of Douglass\'s life yet published ... In detailing the life of a man who made his living as a writer, newspaper publisher, and orator, Blight rightfully centers his biography on Douglass\'s words ... leaves no aspect of Douglass untouched ... Blight even speculates—a bit too much, perhaps—about topics for which the historical record offers less than definitive answers, including Douglass\'s possible extramarital affairs and his difficulty in finding domestic bliss with his first wife, Anna, and their five children ... Blight\'s biggest scholarly contribution lies in his parsing of the final three decades—the least studied period—of Douglass\'s life ... Supported by voluminous research and featuring clear prose and an unparalleled mastery of its subject\'s life and times, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom is a monumental work of history, one that will prove eye-opening, accessible, and satisfying for both academic and non-academic readers alike ... Blight\'s book will surely stand as the definitive Douglass biography for years to come.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
