Reviews
"A focused, stimulating account that demonstrates that many of the best contemporary works of the Sixties are about the rise of the Right." -- Library Journal, "Should be read by anyone interested in American political developments of the last four decades. . . This is a fair-minded book from which both the Right and its opponents could learn a great deal." --Duane Oldfield, Journal of Church and State, [McGirr] treats her subject with commendable fairness . . . deeply informed with dozens of interviews and serious archival work. . . . Suburban Warriors is a welcome addition to contemporary American history. It is the first long look at activists who have been woefully understudied given their influence on the course of recent politics., Orange County's success as a crucible for conservatism, McGirr skillfully argues, was rooted in the fact that it took tried and true American values of individualism and community, boldly exaggerated them and then recombined them in ways that accentuated their messy contradictions. . . . McGirr blends political and social history and goes where few analysts before: to the kitchen tables as well as the meeting halls of the early right-wing movement. This is the book's great contribution. -- Arlene Stein, The Nation, McGirr paints a complex picture . . . Incisive, yet fair, this represents an important standing of how antimodernist ideologies continue to thrive. -- Publishers Weekly, [McGirr] treats her subject with commendable fairness . . . deeply informed with dozens of interviews and serious archival work. . . . Suburban Warriors is a welcome addition to contemporary American history. It is the first long look at activists who have been woefully understudied given their influence on the course of recent politics."-- Brian Doherty, Reason, This work captures the politically charged yet modest middle-class culture that gave life to the conservative movement. . . . McGirr has provided an elegantly written analysis of the Right which will reshape historical understandings of the conservative movement for some time to come., "Well written and authoritative, enriched by the voices of the Orange County conservatives [McGirr] interviewed and by deep archival research."-- Mark Schmitt, American Prospect, Orange County's success as a crucible for conservatism, McGirr skillfully argues, was rooted in the fact that it took tried and true American values of individualism and community, boldly exaggerated them and then recombined them in ways that accentuated their messy contradictions. . . . McGirr blends political and social history and goes where few analysts before: to the kitchen tables as well as the meeting halls of the early right-wing movement. This is the book's great contribution., A focused, stimulating account that demonstrates that many of the best contemporary works of the Sixties are about the rise of the Right. -- Library Journal, Suburban Warriors affords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative., A fascinating tale . . . Suburban Warriors goes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day. -- Stephen Dale, Washington Post Book World, Suburban Warriors is an excellent example of the value of combining political with community history., [McGirr] treats her subject with commendable fairness . . . deeply informed with dozens of interviews and serious archival work. . . . Suburban Warriors is a welcome addition to contemporary American history. It is the first long look at activists who have been woefully understudied given their influence on the course of recent politics." --Brian Doherty, Reason, "This work captures the politically charged yet modest middle-class culture that gave life to the conservative movement. . . . McGirr has provided an elegantly written analysis of the Right which will reshape historical understandings of the conservative movement for some time to come."-- Gregory L. Schneider, Weekly Standard, A fascinating tale . . .Suburban Warriorsgoes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day. -- Stephen Dale, Washington Post Book World, Suburban Warriors is an excellent example of the value of combining political with community history. -- Mary C. Brennan, The Journal of American History, McGirr is enlightening, offering much solid research on the devoted beserkers who seized the Republican Party in 1964 to foist Goldwater on an unwelcoming nation. . . . McGirr has uncovered something important about the activists of the right."-- Todd Gitlin, Boston Review, " Suburban Warriors is an excellent example of the value of combining political with community history."-- Mary C. Brennan, The Journal of American History, "A fascinating tale . . . Suburban Warriors goes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day." --Stephen Dale, Washington Post Book World, "Orange County's success as a crucible for conservatism, McGirr skillfully argues, was rooted in the fact that it took tried and true American values of individualism and community, boldly exaggerated them and then recombined them in ways that accentuated their messy contradictions. . . . McGirr blends political and social history and goes where few analysts before: to the kitchen tables as well as the meeting halls of the early right-wing movement. This is the book's great contribution." --Arlene Stein, The Nation, A focused, stimulating account that demonstrates that many of the best contemporary works of the Sixties are about the rise of the Right., Should be read by anyone interested in American political developments of the last four decades. . . This is a fair-minded book from which both the Right and its opponents could learn a great deal., Suburban Warriorsis an Excellent Example of the Value of Combining Political with Community History., A fascinating tale . . . Suburban Warriors goes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day., The best book yet written about the local insurgencies that dumped liberal Republicanism into the dustbin of history and made the GOP party of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich. -- Michael Kazin, Lingua Franca, "A focused, stimulating account that demonstrates that many of the best contemporary works of the Sixties are about the rise of the Right."-- Library Journal, Suburban Warriorsaffords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative. -- Russell Baker, New York Review of Books, The best book yet written about the local insurgencies that dumped liberal Republicanism into the dustbin of history and made the GOP party of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich., " Suburban Warriors affords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative." --Russell Baker, New York Review of Books, Suburban Warriorsaffords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative., Winner of the 2001 Book Award, New England Historical Association Winner of the Robert G. Athearn Prize in Western American History, The strength of her book is her explanation of the growth of the conservative movement through the stories of women and men who moved to the Orange County suburbs . . . Remember welfare? Whatever happened to it? Where did affirmative action go? [McGirr explains] their demise and that of many other ideas that seemed so permanent, so much a part of a national consensus, in 1964. -- Bill Boyarski, Los Angeles Times, McGirr is enlightening, offering much solid research on the devoted beserkers who seized the Republican Party in 1964 to foist Goldwater on an unwelcoming nation. . . . McGirr has uncovered something important about the activists of the right." --Todd Gitlin, Boston Review, "The strength of her book is her explanation of the growth of the conservative movement through the stories of women and men who moved to the Orange County suburbs . . . Remember welfare? Whatever happened to it? Where did affirmative action go? [McGirr explains] their demise and that of many other ideas that seemed so permanent, so much a part of a national consensus, in 1964."-- Bill Boyarski, Los Angeles Times, A fascinating tale . . .Suburban Warriorsgoes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day., " Suburban Warriors is an excellent example of the value of combining political with community history." --Mary C. Brennan, The Journal of American History, McGirr is enlightening, offering much solid research on the devoted beserkers who seized the Republican Party in 1964 to foist Goldwater on an unwelcoming nation. . . . McGirr has uncovered something important about the activists of the right., "McGirr paints a complex picture . . . Incisive, yet fair, this represents an important standing of how antimodernist ideologies continue to thrive."-- Publishers Weekly, "Orange County's success as a crucible for conservatism, McGirr skillfully argues, was rooted in the fact that it took tried and true American values of individualism and community, boldly exaggerated them and then recombined them in ways that accentuated their messy contradictions. . . . McGirr blends political and social history and goes where few analysts before: to the kitchen tables as well as the meeting halls of the early right-wing movement. This is the book's great contribution."-- Arlene Stein, The Nation, Should be read by anyone interested in American political developments of the last four decades. . . This is a fair-minded book from which both the Right and its opponents could learn a great deal. -- Duane Oldfield, Journal of Church and State, Suburban Warriorsis an excellent example of the value of combining political with community history. -- Mary C. Brennan, The Journal of American History, Suburban Warriors affords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative. -- Russell Baker, New York Review of Books, " Suburban Warriors affords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America's most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative."-- Russell Baker, New York Review of Books, "The best book yet written about the local insurgencies that dumped liberal Republicanism into the dustbin of history and made the GOP party of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich."-- Michael Kazin, Lingua Franca, "The best book yet written about the local insurgencies that dumped liberal Republicanism into the dustbin of history and made the GOP party of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich." --Michael Kazin, Lingua Franca, This work captures the politically charged yet modest middle-class culture that gave life to the conservative movement. . . . McGirr has provided an elegantly written analysis of the Right which will reshape historical understandings of the conservative movement for some time to come. -- Gregory L. Schneider, Weekly Standard, "Well written and authoritative, enriched by the voices of the Orange County conservatives [McGirr] interviewed and by deep archival research." --Mark Schmitt, American Prospect, Suburban Warriorsaffords a rare picture of the grass-roots process actually working at a specific site. . . . McGirr's setting is California's Orange County, which became America¹s most celebrated conservative stronghold in the 1960s. McGirr's book provides a valuable scholarly analysis of the demographics, culture, and history that made the county distinctively conservative., McGirr paints a complex picture . . . Incisive, yet fair, this represents an important standing of how antimodernist ideologies continue to thrive., "This work captures the politically charged yet modest middle-class culture that gave life to the conservative movement. . . . McGirr has provided an elegantly written analysis of the Right which will reshape historical understandings of the conservative movement for some time to come." --Gregory L. Schneider, Weekly Standard, Well written and authoritative, enriched by the voices of the Orange County conservatives [McGirr] interviewed and by deep archival research. -- Mark Schmitt, American Prospect, "A fascinating tale . . . Suburban Warriors goes a long way to explaining the origins of a movement whose influence remains formidable to this day."-- Stephen Dale, Washington Post Book World, [McGirr] treats her subject with commendable fairness . . . deeply informed with dozens of interviews and serious archival work. . . . Suburban Warriors is a welcome addition to contemporary American history. It is the first long look at activists who have been woefully understudied given their influence on the course of recent politics. -- Brian Doherty, Reason, McGirr is enlightening, offering much solid research on the devoted beserkers who seized the Republican Party in 1964 to foist Goldwater on an unwelcoming nation. . . . McGirr has uncovered something important about the activists of the right. -- Todd Gitlin, Boston Review, Well written and authoritative, enriched by the voices of the Orange County conservatives [McGirr] interviewed and by deep archival research., "Should be read by anyone interested in American political developments of the last four decades. . . This is a fair-minded book from which both the Right and its opponents could learn a great deal."-- Duane Oldfield, Journal of Church and State, [McGirr] treats her subject with commendable fairness . . . deeply informed with dozens of interviews and serious archival work. . . .Suburban Warriorsis a welcome addition to contemporary American history. It is the first long look at activists who have been woefully understudied given their influence on the course of recent politics. -- Brian Doherty, Reason, "The strength of her book is her explanation of the growth of the conservative movement through the stories of women and men who moved to the Orange County suburbs . . . Remember welfare? Whatever happened to it? Where did affirmative action go? [McGirr explains] their demise and that of many other ideas that seemed so permanent, so much a part of a national consensus, in 1964." --Bill Boyarski, Los Angeles Times, The strength of her book is her explanation of the growth of the conservative movement through the stories of women and men who moved to the Orange County suburbs . . . Remember welfare? Whatever happened to it? Where did affirmative action go? [McGirr explains] their demise and that of many other ideas that seemed so permanent, so much a part of a national consensus, in 1964., "McGirr paints a complex picture . . . Incisive, yet fair, this represents an important standing of how antimodernist ideologies continue to thrive." -- Publishers Weekly
