The Proud Decades - America in War and Peace, 1941-1960 (Paperback, Revised)

"Richly instructive. . . . With characteristic cogency and verve John Diggins has painted a memorable portrait of the United States at a triumphant moment in its history."—David M. Kennedy, Stanford University

"A superb introduction to the period, not only for what it recounts but for Mr. Diggins's shrewd guidance through the intricacies of cold war diplomact and domestic politics and economics in the age of Truman and Eisenhower, and for his illumination of the time through such people and young Martin Luther King, Jr., in the early days of the civil rights movement, Senator McCarthy and Charles Wilson of General Motors. He impressively combines responsible coverage with sharp commentary in clear, bright, readable prose."—Alan Trachtenberg, New York Times Book Review

"A superbly and provocatively writeen account that somehow succesfully combines social, cultural, political, and diplomatic history (Kinsey, Bogart, McCarthy, Eisenhower, along with many others) to give us the overview we have needed of that mid-century shift that changed the course of American life—even before we entered the Sixties."—Walter LaFeber, Cornell University