Without question Chafe is a master narrative historian able to weave together multiple histories into one compelling drama of struggle

of competing ideas, values, and visions of what made the American century 'American.' Chafe knows how to write history as drama in the best sense of that word. I couldn't put it down. Students will not find this kind of writing on Wikipedia."-Neil Foley, University of Texas, and author of The White Scourge

The Rise and Fall of the American Century is an excellent work that touches upon practically all of the major themes and issues of twentieth-century American history with authorial conviction. Perhaps its greatest strength is the author's ability to humanize presidents, the presidency, and presidential politics. The writing is beyond impressive and will capture and hold the attention of college students.

Hasan Kwame Jeffries, The Ohio State University

In this unflinching examination of the United States over the last century, one of the nation's foremost historians traces the nation's rise to power and its disastrous recent decline. William H. Chafe illuminates the national story with keen insight, elegant prose, and powerful analysis.

Elaine Tyler May, author of Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era