1960

Praise for 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon—The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies

"1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies aims to take us deeper into the campaign than Theodore White's famous The Making of the President, 1960. And it does. . . ." –Chicago Sun-Times

"Here’s what Theodore White didn't tell you in The Making of the President, 1960.” –Denver Post

“The 1960 presidential campaign season was dominated by the personalities of three men, each of whom became president. Award-winning author Pietrusza chronicles their roles and character in a stirring, hard-edged political saga. . . . An outstanding reexamination.” –Booklist

"The bare-knuckle primaries. The back-room dealing of the conventions. The historic television debates. The explosive controversies of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, above all, the towering clash of personalities—LBJ, JFK, and Nixon. They're all here in David Pietrusza's superb 1960. 1960 provides new insights into that year's hard-fought, pivotal election, but, more than that, 1960is great story-telling—a fascinating, can't-put-it-down account of how American politics really works." —Former United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh

Praise for Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series

Finalist for the Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime

“Pietrusza does a terrific job of capturing Rothstein’s colorful career and sheds new light on [his] role in fixing the World Series, disputing the standard history.” —New York Times Book Review

“An engaging biography. . . . Puts real flesh on the story of how the new machinery of mass entertainment—the yellow press, movies, radio, the recording industry—created and brought together the culture of celebrity, politics, big-time sports, stock market fortunes and organized crime in the 1920s.” —Washington Post Book World

Praise for 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

“Broad, fluid brush strokes. . . . a brisk narrative." —The Wall Street Journal (rated one of the Top Five Books on Presidential Campaigns)

"David Pietrusza has a gift for making the past both real and dramatically gripping, and in 1920 he has an extraordinary cast of characters with which to work his magic. ... one helluva historical dinner party. An unforgettable group portrait of America on the brink of modernity." —Richard Norton Smith

"More than just a story of six men who either already had been president or would be, this is the story of America as it moved into the modern age." —Denver Post

“A rousing chronicle. . . . Pietrusza . . . adds color and dimension with smart discussions of Prohibition, women’s suffrage, immigration, civil rights, the League of Nations and labor strife, and he offers animated portraits.... A hugely fascinating episode in American history, told with insight and great humor, by an author in command of his subject.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Absorbing. . . . a broad, satisfying political and social history, in the style of Doris Kearns Goodwin." —Publishers Weekly

"Fascinating and compelling. . . . Highly recommended." —Library Journal

Praise for 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny

"1932 confirmed my belief that David Pietrusza is the best historian of our times. Deep, clever, witty, master of the subject." ―Columnist and film critic Ivan Denisov

"[E]xtremely well written and researched. Highly recommended!!" ―Huffington Post critic Rob Taub

Praise for 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America

"Outstanding. . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election." —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Reads like a movie thriller waiting to be filmed." —Washington Times

"Coherent, compelling. . . . A skillful, authoritative investigation." —Kirkus Reviews

"Pietrusza is the undisputed champion of chronicling American Presidential campaigns." —Dead Presidents blog

"Sweeping . . . compelling." —Library Journal

"A masterpiece!" —Roger Stone

"In 1948 David Pietrusza brings to light some of the forgotten but important figures in American political history. There’s Glen Taylor, the singing senator from Idaho and running mate of Henry Wallace on perhaps the most left-wing national ticket of the past century. Mississippi Fielding Wright also makes a memorable appearance as understudy for segregationist South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond, a reminder of just how solid the South was for Democrats at one time. Pietrusza brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman’s successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a repeat bid as the Republican nominee. Though Dewey lost, readers will come to see him as a surprisingly civil libertarian-minded candidate, opposing the banning of the Communist Party, despite its promotion of a noxious ideology." —David Mark, Senior Editor, POLITICO

"A terrific book. . . . a must-read." —Ron Faucheux, editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections magazine

"If you think [2012] is wild, this is really wild—Harry Truman and Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond and Tom Dewey." —Tom Brokaw