On Restless Giant
Patterson, James T. Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush V. Gore. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp. 448. Cloth.
This is the last chronological work in the Oxford History of the United States series, and it’s the worst of the bunch. While some of the main themes of Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974 shine through at times (especially the “rights consciousness” of Americans that emerged in the period), the book is so weak on analysis and functions more as a chronicle than a history. A lot of what little analysis exists here are regurgitating points from “both sides” made by pundits, contemporary books, and journalists. I understand that a large part of this is due to when the book was published (2005, for a period that ended in 2000), but I had hoped for a lot more.