Rebellion

“An alarming but useful perspective on antiliberalism….[A] timely, well-informed analysis….Kagan cogently examines the bright long-term prospects for the Founders’ concept of liberalism, especially with the nation’s rapidly changing demographics—if Trump does not win the election….A powerful, much-needed political and social analysis that all lovers of democracy should read.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Kagan details, mordantly, the anti-liberalism that emerged during and after the Civil War, a strain that, just as much as today’s version, insisted on a ‘Christian commonwealth’ founded essentially on wounded white working-class pride.” —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

“A concise but thorough tour through the influence of American liberalism’s malign twin . . . Kagan manages to diagnose both the acute and chronic nature of our present crisis.” —Alan Elrod, Liberal Currents

“A brilliant analyst and polemicist, Kagan argues that the 2024 presidential election could be the last free election held in a unified United States. He justifies this dire warning with a detailed account of the right’s drift towards authoritarianism—and traces the historical roots of Donald Trump’s appeal to a long tradition of anti-liberal thought in the US.” —Gideon Rachman and Frederick Studemann, Financial Times

“The chief, and at times reassuring, virtue of Rebellion is [its] historical perspective, alloyed with Kagan’s hopeful tone.” —Bill Thompson, Los Angeles Review of Books

“Engaging and often surprising.” —Brian Stewart, Commentary

“Comprehensive and compelling.” —Jennifer Bort Yacovissi, Washington Independent Review of Books