The Second Founding

Bookseller recommendation

“Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Eric Foner’s new book centers on the monumental legislation of the Reconstruction era, which he frames as the birth of modern America. This book comes at a time when American culture and society is a mirror image of its 19th-century counterpart, plagued by aggressive racism, constant violence, and the explicit shortcomings of our federal government. Foner hones in on timeless questions like “Who should be entitled to citizenship?” and “How should ‘equal protection of the law’ be defined and guaranteed?” to expertly link our very troubled past to our equally troubled present.”

— Travis • Bookshop Santa Cruz