The Crooked Places Made Straight by Raphael G. Warnock

THE CROOKED PLACES MADE STRAIGHT by Raphael G. Warnock is definitely informed by his position as a “pastor who serves in the Senate.” He invites readers to take a spiritual journey with him, writing “Our country needs moral leadership and a renewed vision like Isaiah’s, one that invites us to reach out to one another, to pray for one another rather than prey on one another, and to reach toward our highest and noblest ideas rather than sink in our basest fears.” Warnock explores six issues to offer “Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America.” He devotes a lengthy chapter each to voter suppression, influence of dark money, poverty, incarceration, gun violence and the climate. He quotes the Bible frequently and notes, for example, that there are “some two thousand verses in the Old and New Testaments about the poor and how to treat them.”  Warnock is not afraid to point out hypocrisy and that “the harshest and meanest voices against poor people in our country are often Christian voices.” He notes the efforts to cut or restrict programs like Head Start, Upward Bound and Pell grants, all of which he had personally participated in. Saying “we suffer from a poverty not of resources but of moral imagination and from a deficit of courage and vision,” Warnock outlines three goals for his thought-provoking book, paraphrased here: (1) to inspire readers to renew a common sense of purpose and to talk to people outside their comfort zone; (2) to urge politicians to look beyond election cycles and to take action to help the people they serve rather than their own ambitions; and (3) to reengage, especially for all of our children, to “when you pray, move your feet.” Publishers Weekly called this “a clarion call for a fairer America” – have a look. 

Winning the Earthquake by Lorissa Rinehart

WINNING THE EARTHQUAKE by Lorissa Rinehart is about “How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress.” Rinehart, described as a women’s historian, author, speaker and regular Substack contributor, is clearly enthusiastic about Rankin and her accomplishments. The text presents Rankin in a very favorable light while providing details about her 1880’s childhood in rural Montana and her subsequent work with the poor in New York and San Francisco. Rinehart makes a convincing argument that Rankin’s “formative years in Montana taught her that society functioned best when men and women participated equally. Her work in San Francisco proved that women led the way when it came to grassroots enactment of Progressive reform. [And] Her education … underscored the necessity of government regulation in bringing about holistic change on a large scale.” I already knew that Rankin was a pacifist and had served in Congress, but I did not realize that she was first elected to Congress in 1916, four years before the right to vote was granted to women nationwide. I also did not realize that she had voted against US involvement in both World Wars (believing that “you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake”) and that she was active (while in her nineties) in protesting the Vietnam War. This is a very accessible text brimming with details; with roughly a fourth of the book devoted to Notes. WINNING THE EARTHQUAKE received a starred review from Library Journal which said, “This superb biography of the first woman elected to Congress deserves a place on every public and academic library bookshelf.”

We the People by Jill Lepore

WE THE PEOPLE by Jill Lepore (the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and professor of law at Harvard Law School) offers a history of the U.S. Constitution. Stressing the ability to endure through adaptation, she divides the lengthy text chronologically, looking first at the “Invention” of the Constitution during the end of the eighteenth century. Next, covering almost the entire nineteenth century, including the Civil War and its aftermath, is a section titled “The Contest over Interpretation.” Subsequently, Lepore describes the “Pattern of Amendment” from 1905 to 1959. The final part (through 2016) is called “The End of Amendment.” Each section is full of anecdotes and careful analysis. In her introduction, Lepore notes, “This book aims to chronicle the origins of amendment, to identify the conditions under which amendment is possible, to examine why the practice of amendment has been abandoned, and to reckon with the question of whether the constitution can endure without it.” It seems particularly critical for Americans to become familiar with texts such as this, especially as we encounter ongoing debate over rights enshrined in the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Lepore’s WE THE PEOPLE is the notable nonfiction Library Reads selection for September and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly (“galvanizing and paradigm-shifting”), Kirkus (interview here), and Booklist (“phenomenally researched, eminently accessible, and acutely relevant history”). She was also featured recently on PBS NewsHour; here is a video of that interview:

Also highly recommended: The Words We Live by from Linda R. Monk; even at twenty years old, this text is a wonderful summary of a core American document. And look for The Bill of Obligations by Richard Haass wherein he describes “The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” and offers multiple related resources, including teaching notes.  Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17 and offers a reminder to honor American values and rule of law. 

Our Nation at Risk edited by Zelizer and Greenberg

With political conventions this summer and roughly three months until a national election, scholars will find it worth taking a look at OUR NATION AT RISK edited by Julian E. Zelizer (Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University) and Karen J. Greenberg (Director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law). Their text, encompassing sixteen chapters, explores “Election Integrity as a National Security Issue.” In addition to New York Times Columnist Thomas Edsall and former Senator Russ Feingold, contributors include professors based at Catholic University of America, Cornell, MIT, NYU, Stanford, UCLA, UT Austin, and Vanderbilt. Plus, representatives of organizations like American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Enterprise Institute and American Constitution Society. OUR NATION AT RISK has an academic, legal tone, referring often to pertinent court cases and full of footnotes. For example, the chapter titled “Presidential Power and Federal Elections” notes “the absence of lawful authority alone does not guarantee that a president will not attempt to use his office to interfere with an election” and concludes that “the viability of the legal limits on the president's involvement in elections depends greatly on the willingness of those within his [or her] administration to observe and then force them.” Other selections explore equally timely topics like foreign election interference, disinformation, role of Congress and the Supreme Court, and the right to vote.

The Originalism Trap by Madiba K. Dennie

THE ORIGINALISM TRAP by Madiba K. Dennie offers a well-organized and research-supported explanation of “How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take it Back.” Dennie argues that applying “originalism gives the judiciary extraordinary power to put historically marginalized people ‘back in their place’ and buttress the country's longstanding stratification of power and wealth.” She convincingly points to numerous examples (e.g., Dobbs, upcoming decision in Rahimi on gun rights, court cases concerning trans youth in schools) where this has or could occur. It is scary to think about the ways that other previously guaranteed rights (e.g., same sex marriage, use of contraceptives, inter-racial marriage) could also be endangered or rescinded if the same logic were applied. Dennie devotes chapters to topics including the Due Process Clause, voting rights, and demographics (e.g., cases like Korematsu and other questions related to the Census). A final section focuses on a call for “Inclusive Constitutionalism” (emphasizing the transformative goals of the Reconstruction Amendments). Dennie assumes some basic knowledge of American institutions and processes, but this is a fascinating text for legal students and those interested in American history. Scholars like Erwin Chemerinsky (Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law) and former Senator Russell Feingold have praised THE ORIGINALISM TRAP. Roughly thirty percent of the text is devoted to notes and bibliographic references.

New titles about the American Civil War

The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. Then known as Decoration Day, the holiday was proclaimed to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the Civil War. Here are reviews of three excellent books which deal with the Civil War time period.

WIDE AWAKE is a newly published book by Jon Grinspan who is Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Grinspan’s love of history and his devotion to scholarship shines through as he relates steps in his research on “The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War.” I was intrigued by his comments of looking into newspaper databases and was able to locate over one hundred and fifty front page newspaper articles from 1860 or earlier about this paramilitary group. They wore uniforms, had banners with a wide-open eye (see image of certificate below), marched (often with torches), and widely supported Lincoln and other Republicans in the 1860 election. Almost all ended up eventually joining the Union forces. Commenting on the echoes of history, and this “grassroots force pushing elite leaders into action,” Grinspan writes that the “Wide Awakes of 1860 wrestled with the same forces -- mass democracy, public protest, free speech, political violence, slavery, and race -- that we grapple with today.” Booklist gave WIDE AWAKE a starred review and Kirkus describes his well-written text as “a welcome study of an overlooked aspect of the Civil War and the events leading up to it.” Extensive notes and references comprise roughly twenty percent of this text.

THE AGITATORS by Dorothy Wickenden (Nothing Daunted) is about “three friends who fought for abolition and women's rights.” Readers may be familiar with stories about Harriet Tubman, a famous underground railroad conductor, but are likely less well-versed about Martha Coffin Wright, a Quaker (and sister to Lucretia Mott) who criticized Lincoln’s position on slavery and organized women’s rights conventions with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The third member of the trio is Frances Seward; as the wife of Governor, then Senator, and then Secretary of State William H. Seward, her influence was often largest behind the scenes. The three friends lived in Auburn, New York and Wickenden traces their efforts from the 1820s onward through 1875 in a detail-filled text. Her afterward, extensive notes, and selected bibliography together comprise at least a fourth of the book. THE AGITATORS received starred reviews from Library Journal (“Filling a gap in the telling of women's and abolitionist history, this highly readable book gives these three women their due.”) and Publishers Weekly (“an essential addition to the history of American progressivism”).

Finally, THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson (The Splendid and the Vile) is subtitled “A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War” and the best-selling author definitely chronicles the exploits of some unsavory characters. For example, Larson recounts James Henry Hammond’s sexual abuse of his nieces and subsequent selection to Federal office, serving as Senator for South Carolina. Often commenting on other parallels to today’s headlines, Larson writes, “I had the eerie feeling that present and past had merged. It is unsettling that in 1861 two of the greatest moments of national dread centered on the certification of the Electoral College vote and the presidential inauguration.” This text, too, is extensively researched with approximately twenty percent devoted to a lengthy bibliography and detailed notes. THE DEMON OF UNREST did receive starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. While highly regarded, it did not feel as compelling as earlier works by Larson, however.

Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney

OATH AND HONOR by Liz Cheney is a text which every American should read. This memoir (and a warning, as it is subtitled) sold out on its release day in early December and has been topping sales charts since then. Cheney, a former Congesswoman from Wyoming and previously part of the Republican Party’s leadership, lays out events leading up to the January 6th 2021 insurrection and the subsequent House investigation for which she was Vice Chair. Her perspective is detailed and unique due to the many contacts which she and her family have in the political and legal sphere. The events which she recounts are disturbing, particularly the unprincipled stance from so many of her colleagues. Throughout the remainder of this election season, we will all have an opportunity to educate ourselves, to reflect on true American and Constitutional values, and ultimately to make informed decisions in the upcoming primaries and general elections. Read and decide for yourself; here is an interview with Cheney about OATH AND HONOR from the PBS NewsHour:

If you would like to hear and see more of her book talk and reading at Politics and Prose in DC, click here or read a review from The Washington Post. More perspective is available in RENEGADE by Adam Kinzinger from Illinois.