American Politics, Then & Now: And Other Essays - Tapa dura

All of us who write about politics today know this: To be a political commentator in James Q. Wilson's era is to know how Mel Torme must have felt being a singer in Frank Sinatra's era. We are all competing for the silver medal. Wilson has won the gold. These essays show why. -- George F. Will, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post For over forty years, James Q. Wilson has been America's leading public intellectual-and perhaps the world's. Touching on almost every important aspect of our politics, public policy, national character, morality, and culture, these masterful essays draw together his own encyclopaedic command of the social facts, the imperishable political wisdom of Aristotle, and the felicitous wit and concision of Dr. Johnson. They will reward thoughtful readers generations after today's pompous pundits are long forgotten. -- Peter H. Schuck, Yale University The publication of these essays-including the classic `The Rediscovery of Character'-is an event to be celebrated. Whether you agree or disagree with his interpretation of American politics, James Q. Wilson never fails to illuminate and provoke. -- William A. Galston Wilson is at his best when he argues from close readings of historical evidence and social science data, which often yield trenchant insights-on the growth and solidification of federal programs, the unimportance of school spending and class size to educational outcomes compared with intangibles like academic expectations and discipline. * Publishers Weekly, April 2010 * Wilson's latest book collects 15 essays....They are written for a general audience, not in the sense of being dumbed-down, but of addressing questions of concern to the educated public in a manner free from academic jargon and pretense. Those not familiar with Wilson's work will discover what it means to bring social-science evidence to bear on important contemporary problems....Wilson is a master at making complex issues understandable....In a world filled with so many smart-alec political analysts, sober teachers like James Q. Wilson are in exceedingly short supply. * Claremont Review of Books *

James Q. Wilson is one of America's most distinguished public policy scholars. This quintessential volume brings together decades of his writing and thinking on all facets of American culture, society, and government. Wilson muses about the changing nature of American politics, terrorism and extremism, the role of the media, the intersection of science, religion, and politics, and the revival of the old-fashioned notion of "character."