Right Star Rising: A New Politics, 1974-1980, Paperback

On the face of it, the Ford-Carter years seem completely forgettable. They were years of weak presidential leadership and national drift. Yet, as Laura Kalman shows in this absorbing narrative history, the contours of our contemporary politics took shape during these years. This was the incubation period for a powerful movement on the right that was to triumph with Ronald Reagan's election in 1980. These years also marked the coming of age of the social movements of the 1960s, as their causes moved from the streets to the courts for mediation. Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and the scope of privacy rights had immense social and political impact. The nation experienced an energy crisis, a sharp economic downturn, and a collision with fundamentalism in Iran that set the terms for coming crises. Kalman's navigation of this eventful political and social terrain is expert and riveting.

About the Author:

Henry C. Dethloff is Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He is the author of many books, the latest being Texas Aggies Go to War: In Service of Their Country.

Gerald E. Shenk is Professor of Social History at California State University, Monterey Bay and author of Work or Fight! Race, Gender, and the Draft in World War One.