Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New American Politics
"Anybody who really wants to understand who Pelosi is, how she attained this key post and parlayed it into extraordinary power and influence, and how she manages to operate so successfully in a boiling caldron of partisan and ideological division will come away much better informed after reading this book."--Norm Ornstein, Washington Post Book World"Peters and Rosenthal's highly readable and entertaining book is appropriate for all audiences from general readers to congressional scholars and will be a welcome addition in undergraduate Congress courses. Summing Up: Recommended."--CHOICE"Peters and Rosenthal provide a more comprehensive analysis of the career of Nancy Pelosi than has ever been available during a speaker's term in office. Not only does the reader learn about Pelosi's political rise, but the authors also thoroughly examine her performance in her three years as Speaker, carefully employing data to test conventional impressions. This book should be in the library of every serious student of contemporary American politics."--Bruce Oppenheimer, Professor of Public Policy and Education, Vanderbilt University"In this insightful account of Nancy Pelosi's career, two of America's leading congressional scholars explain her remarkable rise to power to become the first woman in American history to lead the U.S. House of Representatives and how she leads the House today. The book is a major contribution to the literature on congressional leadership and is likely to be the standard for all works on Speaker Pelosi going forward. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the contemporary workings of the House of Representatives."--James A. Thurber, Distinguished University Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University"By examining how Pelosi uses her power, designs legislative process, and provides representative leadership for her district, state, and party, the authors present a thoughtful, scholarly, and well-documented analysis of her rise to power. Recommended."--Library Journal"Scholarly. ... The authors' expertise offers credibility to the notion that Pelosi is among the most powerful speakers ever."--San Francisco Chronicle"Must-read. ... A lot has been written about Pelosi, yet Peters and Rosenthal compile an especially useful piece of the jigsaw puzzle that political books are busy creating. ... The book deconstructs Pelosi's fundraising tactics in explicitly direct terms and aims to paint a picture of what American politics will look like in the next few years. ... [T]he authors do a stellar job of explaining how Pelosi's advancement and subsequent dominance mark the genesis of the 'new American politics.'"--Roll Call"This is a book that is intellectually rigorous, that would withstand scholarly examination, but that is also a captivating read for just about anyone who wonders how a political career is made and what goes on behind the scenes on Capitol Hill."--Wright on Health Blog"[I]t is the authors careful marshaling of the facts that makes the case for Nancy Pelosi's political significance so strong, to the likely surprise of some readers."--Beyond Chron"This book is an excellent appraisal of Pelosi as Speaker functioning in a take-no-prisoners political world.  It will appeal to political scientists and informed readers of contemporary affairs."--ForeWord Reviews"Peters and Rosenthal are correct: The woman and the moment have met."--The Hill