Transforming America: Politics and Culture During the Reagan Years

By Robert M. Collins

By the end of the 1980s, the "malaise" that had once pervaded American society was replaced by a renewed sense of confidence and national purpose. However, beneath this veneer of optimism was a nation confronting the effects of massive federal deficits

• Language: English
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Release date: Jan 19, 2007
• ISBN: 9780231511308

Reviews for Transforming America

[mensheviklibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Now that the 80s are becoming history, a reevaluation of Reagan and Reaganism seems necessary. Unfortunately, this book falls short. Collins argues that Reaganism transformed American society into a more conservative direction economically and a more liberal one socially. This is hardly an original thesis and Collins doesn't write with much verve. The book is workmanlike, though, and a reader interested in an introduction to the 80s and Reaganism could do worse. For a better take on Reagan, please see Garry Will's work on the Gipper.