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Divided America

The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics

About The Book

Now with an updated Afterword -- in which the authors show how the 2006 midterm elections and the Democratic takeover of Congress validate their argument about regional divisions and why and how they will dominate the 2008 presidential election -- Divided America tells the biggest story in American politics today: how new regional divisions are tearing the country's politics apart, turning both major parties into minority parties and encouraging angry constituencies to wage increasingly nasty wedge-issue campaigns.

About The Authors

Photo Credit:

Earl Black is a professor of political science at Rice University in Houston. His brother, Merle Black, is a professor of politics and government at Emory University in Atlanta. They are also the authors of The Rise of Southern Republicans, The Vital South, and Politics and Society in the South.

Photo Credit:

Earl Black is a professor of political science at Rice University in Houston. His brother, Merle Black, is a professor of politics and government at Emory University in Atlanta. They are also the authors of The Rise of Southern Republicans, The Vital South, and Politics and Society in the South.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 25, 2008)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743262071

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Raves and Reviews

"For a generation, Earl Black and Merle Black have been enlightening Americans about the politics of the South. It is both a sign of the times and a blessing for all who love politics that they have turned their analytical genius and clarity of thought to regional politics in the whole country. This book would have been important even without the electoral earthquake of 2006. Now it is more important than ever in providing a road map for 2008 and beyond. You can't understand the future of American politics without understanding the importance of the new regionalism. To understand how it works and why it matters, you need to read Divided America." -- E. J. Dionne, Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Why Americans Hate Politics

"Forget the Middle East. The real struggle for the future will take place in the Middle West. As Earl and Merle Black show in this lucid and informative account, the smartest way to think about American politics is the old-fashioned way -- by region. Divided America explains why we will have close elections in this country as far as the eye can see. This is a complete picture of where we stand politically, with important historical context." -- Jonathan Alter, senior editor, Newsweek, author of The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope

"Divided America is a sophisticated study of how Americans vote -- and why the country has become almost impossible to govern. It is a book of frustrating answers rather than the usual clueless questions. A valuable book." -- Richard Reeves, author of President Reagan and President Kennedy

"Bedside reading for Karl Rove wannabes preparing for 2008." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"A thoughtful, thorough analysis of the undercurrents that have driven our polarized national politics in recent decades." -- The Washington Post Book World

"Divided America is merely brilliant." -- Cragg Hines, Houston Chronicle

"Voters should understand the nature of regional differences. Why the regions matter is the subject of Divided America." -- George Will, Newsweek

"A numbers junkie's look at what makes our political map red and blue." -- Karlyn Bowan, The Weekly Standard

"You can't understand the future of American politics without understanding the importance of the new regionalism. To understand how it works and why it matters you need to read Divided America." -- E.J. Dionne, Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right

Awards and Honors

  • CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title

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