American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century
Winner of the 2002 Theodore Saloutos Memorial Book Award"This informed and well-argued study is a strong addition to the literature on race, multiculturalism, and citizenship in the U.S . . . Gerstle [has] in this engrossing, powerfully argued study . . . a meticulous eye for detail."--Publishers Weekly"This tightly argued historical synthesis is likely to be . . . influential to understanding the evolution of American nationalism in the past 100 years. . . ."--Library Journal"American Crucibleis an illuminating addition to what has become a vibrant academic cottage industry, the study of nationalism. . . . [A] confident and elegantly written narrative. . . ."--John T. McGreevy,Chicago Tribune"A fresh and accessible book that fully examines [a] fundamental American paradox. He has credibly and fascinatingly, traced the odd mixture of high ideals and base doubts that shaped race and immigration policy over the last century."--Joseph Dolman,The New Leader"The most probing and thought-provoking history of American nationalism ever written."--James Green,The Boston Globe"Gerstle straddles the Old and the New Left, and this gives him a perspective that frequently makes for a fertile and unpredictable analysis."--Peter Skerry,National Journal"The publication of this book could not be more timely. The first eighty pages should be compulsory reading for anybody in the United Kingdom (and elsewhere) involved with immigrants or asylum-seekers, whether at the level of policy-making, policy administration, or merely as citizen hosts."--Jim Potter,Times Literary Supplement"A brilliant interpretation of how ideas about race and national identity have defined the US in the 20th century. . . . Engagingly written, wearing its historical learning lightly and combining pertinent cultural examples with political events,American Crucibleis a work of profound historical originality and political significance that confirms Gerstle as the doyen among historians of Americanism."--Desmond King,Times Higher Educational Supplement"[An] exemplary analysis.. . . Thanks toAmerican Crucible, the nature of [the] complexities, contradictions, and burdens [of nationalism] are made clear."--Susan Curtis,American Nationalism"A model of clear writing . . . engaging and informative."--Steven Goodson,History: Reviews of New Books"An ambitious and provocative synthetic study. . . Gerstle's larger argument that race has been central to the definition of the American nation in the twentieth century is, ultimately, persuasive and should provoke considerable discussion on the historical character and boundaries of citizenship in the United States."--Eric Arnesen,The Journal of American History"American Crucibleis a valuable text for all students of the twentieth century. Framed around a vital concept, it charts the ebb and flow of ethnic and civic strains in American life. . . . This engaging and clearly written book is also timely."--Andrew M. Kaye,Journal of American Studies