Devils We Know

James A. Morone is the John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Brown University. His many books include Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History.

“Who constitute the ‘them’ outside the American community can differ at any particular time—various immigrant groups, the ‘undeserving poor,’ alcoholics, smokers, and recently, the obese—though race-based exclusion has been, Morone maintains, the cosmological constant in the American cultural universe. Americans’ efforts to separate the culturally normative ‘us’ from the alien ‘them’ has resulted in a politics in which power is gained by cultivating fear of one’s enemies and frequently enacted prohibitionist public policies that are, according to Morone, ‘miserable.’” —Choice“How good it is to have this collection of bracing essays by one of the most imaginative scholars of the American experience. Ranging across a wide range of ideas, personalities, events, policies, and ethical challenges, The Devils We Know offers the gift of clarifying crucial conundrums and contradictions in American political culture. ”—Ira Katznelson, author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time.“A landmark book. Morone stands out -- yet again -- as a pioneer in melding American political thought and political development. In this collection, Morone reworks Louis Hartz to produce a mesmerizing new synthesis of America's kaleidoscopic political culture -- one that despises government but embraces Social Security and Medicare, tolerates stinging racial and income disparities even as it sings the praises of democracy and opportunity, and simultaneously worships individualism and country. ”—Larry Jacobs, coauthor of Health Reform and American Politics.“No one portrays the development of our politics with more verve and insight than James Morone. The Devils We Know displays Morones wit and wisdom at its best. With a collection of sparkling essays that span slavery, prohibition, obesity and health care, Morone charms us into taking a hard look at the inspiring and troubling battles for the soul of America. ”—Sidney Milkis, author of Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Party, and the Transformation of American Democracy.