About the Book
In brisk and engaging prose, this comprehensive introductory textbook traverses the broad sweep of US history since 1945. Winds of Hope, Storms of Discord explores how Americans from all walks of life – political leaders, businesspeople, public intellectuals, workers, students, activists, migrants, and others – struggled to define the nation's political, economic, geopolitical, demographic, and social character. It chronicles the nation's ceaseless ferment, from the rocky conversion to peacetime in the early aftermath of World War II; to the frightening emergence of the Cold War and repeated US military adventures abroad; to the struggles of African Americans and other minorities to claim a share of the American Dream; to the striking transformations in social attitudes catalyzed by the women's movement and struggles for gay and lesbian liberation; to the dynamic force of political, economic, and social conservatism. Carrying the story to the spring of 2022, Winds of Hope also shows how dizzying technological changes at times threatened to upend the nation's civic and political life.
Table of Contents:
Preface; Introduction; 1. Wake up Willie: from war to postwar, 1945–1948; 2. We may not now relax our guard: hot war abroad and cold war at home, 1949–1954; 3. It's like turning over a rock: America in the fifties; 4. Listen, Yankee: the transformation of America's Cold War, 1956–1963; 5. Is this America?: civil rights and the liberal movement, 1960–1965; 6. Berkeley Cong: fighting abroad and unraveling at home, 1963–1968; 7. Expletive deleted: the presidency of Richard Nixon, 1969–1974; 8. Great blinding lightbulb: women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, and new understandings of gender, sexuality, and family, 1960–1975; 9. Soylent Green is people: America in the seventies; 10. The picture always overrides: America in the Reagan years, 1981–1989; 11. To look over the horizon: from New Cold War to New World Order, 1981–1991; 12. Triangulation: the nineties and Bill Clinton; 13. Freedom fries: George W. Bush, 9/11, and the Iraq war, 2001–2008; 14. Yes we can't: American politics, 2009–2015; 15. Crossfire hurricane: the Trump years, 2015–2021; Epilogue; Index.
About the Author :
Salim Yaqub is Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he directs the Center for Cold War Studies and International History. He is the author of two previous books, Containing Arab Nationalism: The Eisenhower Doctrine and the Middle East (2004) and Imperfect Strangers: Americans, Arabs, and US-Middle East Relations in the 1970s (2016).
Review :
'Salim Yaqub has mastered the most recent scholarship on such diverse topics as social justice movements, modern conservatism, and the impact of technology, and woven it seamlessly into a deeply engaging narrative of the United States from 1945 to the 2020s. It is not just the wide sweep that impresses, but also the sharp eye for compelling, poignant detail. Personal yet authoritative, trenchant but even-handed, humane and witty, this is historical writing at its very best.' Hugh Wilford, California State University, Long Beach
'A sweeping synthesis of US history since World War II. Winds of Change, Storms of Discord shows the author's mastery of the most recent scholarship on foreign policy, social change, and domestic conflict, yet it remains accessible and engaging. Highly recommended for students at all levels as well as general readers.' Kathryn Olmsted, University of California, Davis
'Yaqub has set the new standard for histories of post-1945 America. Incredibly complete and up to the minute, Winds of Hope, Storms of Discord is wonderfully readable and filled with careful judgments. Yaqub's writing is marvelously clear and his account is lively as well as precise and authoritative. Students and teachers rejoice!' Doug Rossinow, Metropolitan State University
'This is the post-1945 US history textbook you have been waiting for. Comprehensive, concise, and highly readable, Salim Yaqub brilliantly distills the diversity of the American experience from the end of World War II to US support of Ukraine in 2022. Winds of Hope, Storms of Discord is the new standard-bearer for how to write multifaceted US history.' Kathryn Statler, University of San Diego
'Filled with twists and turns, Winds of Hope, Storms of Discord sends readers racing through its pages to discover how the world they thought they knew is actually far more interesting - and surprising - than they had previously understood. Salim Yaqub writes with the compassion, objectivity, and fresh curiosity of a master scholar who listens to every voice.' Elizabeth Cobbs, Texas A&M University
'Winds of Hope, Storms of Discord by Salim Yaqub is a masterful exploration of US history since 1945. Useful for students in a variety of courses as well as beginning researchers, the book chronicles the often rapid and dramatic changes in US society, culture, politics, technology, economics, and foreign relations during the tumultuous years from the end of World War II through the present. The fact that it ends in 2022 is novel and useful. Despite its ambitious scope, the book has a clear narrative and singular point of view that make it compelling and highly readable. The author deftly weaves together multiple themes to tell a story that is a must-read for anyone who wants to know why the United States today is the way it is.' Kelly J. Shannon, Florida Atlantic University
