A witty, erudite, and original synthesis, which in spite of its brevity gives density and connectedness to two centuries of American political thought.
-- John Higham, The Johns Hopkins University
Daniel Rodgers offers a vivid retelling of the American political experience as a contest of words and a contest for ideas by a people to whom language had become an indispensable tool of revolution and statecraft.
-- Benjamin Barber, Rutgers University
An absolutely first-rate intellectual treat. I cannot remember when I so enjoyed a book about ideas, history, and politics. A must-read for anyone interested in how and why Americans have used and transformed the language of politics for 200 years.
-- Isaac Kramnick, Cornell University
Contested Truths is the best synthesis and interpretation of American political ideas since the work of [Richard] Hofstadter… Rodgers has made a major contribution to intellectual history.
-- Tom Bender