Restless Giant

Charles Peters likes Restless Giant: The United States From Watergate to Bush v. Gore.

This is first-rate history by a first-rate historian. Unlike many of his brethren, James T. Patterson can write, and he understands the value of vivid detail, using “Annie Hall,” “Norma Rae” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to help explain the women’s movement. What’s more, he can think, and he offers analysis and interpretation that is consistently sensible, if sometimes a trifle Panglossian.

The events he describes make up the history – social, economic and political – of the United States during the final quarter of the 20th century, from Richard Nixon’s departure from the White House and America’s departure from Vietnam to the bitter partisanship of Bill Clinton’s impeachment and Bush v. Gore.

In between, he recalls the Ford and Carter administrations and the Iranian hostage crisis, the rise of Ronald Reagan and the resurgence of American conservatism, Bush 1 and Iraq 1, and President Clinton’s economic triumphs and missed opportunities.

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Still, despite its faults, “Restless Giant” is a splendid book that will come to be regarded as indispensable to everyone who cares about the history of this country.