num_pages: 416
description: Abortion has been at the emotional center of Americas culture wars for a generation. Ever since the Supreme Courts landmark Roe v. Wade decision abortion has in many ways defined American politics creating an ideological demilitarized zone between liberals &amp; conservatives. Above all the 25-year war over abortion has been responsible for the most significant social phenomenon of our timesthe political &amp; cultural mobilization of Evangelical America. Furthermore it's served as the lightning rod for the most intense &amp; prolonged debate on the issue of separation of church &amp; state since the founding of the nation. Now for the 1st time in a compelling narrative Wrath of Angels traces the rise &amp; fall of the anti-abortion movement &amp; reveals its critical role in the creation of the Religious Right. The book explores why the passionate battle to end abortion failed to achieve its goal &amp; yet in the process became one of the most important &amp; least understood social protest movements of the 20th century. The anti-abortion movement was the catalyst that convinced Protestant fundamentalists to end their long cultural isolation leaving their pews for the streets. While they failed to change the law they were transformed themselves emerging as one for the most potent political forces in America at the end of the century. James Risen an investigative reporter for the LA Times &amp; Judy L. Thomas a reporter for the Kansas City Star are widely acknowledged as the leading journalistic experts on the anti-abortion movement. Their narrative history captures all the drama of the abortion battles of the past 25 years &amp; reveals how a movement with its roots in the Catholic lefts antiwar protests of the 1960s was gradually transformed into a rallying point for the newly muscular Religious Right. Wrath of Angels documents the origins of the use of civil disobedience in the anti-abortion movement &amp; offers the definitive explanation of why the movement ultimately descended into violence&amp; collapsed as a political force. It tells the story of the shootings of abortion doctors in the 90s &amp; draws upon exclusive interviews with the anti-abortion extremists who have been convicted of these crimes. Anti-abortion activism represents the largest social protest movement since the 60s. With objective clarity Risen &amp; Thomas unleash the stormy wrath of angels the volatile eruption of fundamentalist fury into American politics.
language: English
title: Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War
publisher: Basic Books