... engaging and enlightening ... Kreitner explores this hidden thread of disunion in a fresh, well-documented and persuasive way ... There is so much more in this provocative and often surprising book, including the ways that secessionist movements have continued into the present. Kreitner challenges readers to rethink what the Union means to us and how we can help it live up to its highest ideals. Reading Break It Up is an excellent place to start.
... a compelling narrative on the politics of secession in American history ... By drawing on the parallel experiences and activities occurring today, Kreitner deftly explains the historical continuums and predicaments of the states ... Packed with notes on a variety of sources, this book can be a dense read. But for readers interested in American history and politics, particularly the role and response of the federal government during crises, this book offers a powerful and refreshing account on disunity in America and helps us understand more about today's political fragmentation under state and national governments.
... this book reminds us of the important roles compromise and contention have played in American history ... In highly detailed fashion, Kreitner’s incisive analysis delves into how secession, division and other forces that separate Americans have played into the nation’s history, from revolutionary days until now.
At times it feels like we’re in an AP U.S. history class, but Kreitner makes these episodes new and interesting by reinterpreting them to fit his broader disunion thesis ... Break It Up is at its best when it highlights the vocal threats of disunion that emanated not from the proslavery South—a well-known story—but from the anti-slavery North ... the limitations of Kreitner’s argument become clear. Kreitner takes a kitchen-sink approach, one where every separatist movement, every prophecy of civil war, and every threat of disunion or secession, is given equal weight. What he does not do is assess the seriousness of each threat ... There are, however, virtues to Kreitner’s wide-angle sleuthing. Most rewarding is his integration of the West into the national narrative ... its main point is certainly worth heeding.
Kreitner effectively cleans the window that stands between us and our history ... Throughout, the author does an admirable job suppressing his own political views—until near the end ... Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential to those wandering in the mists of American myth.
... an eye-opening chronicle ... Briskly documenting centuries of conflict, Kreitner makes a strong case that the impulse to dissolve the union will always resonate in such a vast and diverse nation. How much this actually matters, given the country’s long history of sticking together, is left up to the reader to decide. Still, this entertaining history provides plenty of food for thought
