Synopses & Reviews
How can a state be represented by Jesse Helms and John Edwards at the same time? Journalist Rob Christensen answers that question and navigates a century of political history in North Carolina, one of the most vibrant and competitive southern states, where neither conservatives nor liberals, Democrats nor Republicans, have been able to rest easy. It is this climate of competition and challenge, Christensen argues, that enabled North Carolina to rise from poverty in the nineteenth century to become a leader in research, education, and banking in the twentieth.
Although party divisions and the issues of race that often distinguish them are deeply rooted, Christensen explains, North Carolina voters remain loyal to candidates who focus on issues such as education and building a business-friendly infrastructure. He takes us to picket lines and debates and through numerous red-baiting and race-baiting political campaigns. Along the way we are introduced to many remarkable characters, including a U.S. senator who was a Nazi sympathizer, a candidate for governor who was a Soviet agent, a senator who helped bring down Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon, and a TV commentator who helped usher in the Reagan Revolution. Long before the talk of red state-blue state polarization, North Carolina was an intensely divided state politically. With Christensen as a guide, readers may find there is sense after all in the topsy-turvy nature of Tar Heel politics.
Review
The well-told story of North Carolina's 20th-century political dynasties forged by patronage, cronyism, kickbacks, fraud, character assassination and the high art of stealing elections honorably. . . . Christensen succeeds where most political historians fail; he makes the story interesting. . . . A must-read for all who value insight into the realities of winning campaigns and governing in a democracy.
--John N. Davis, Raleigh News and Observer
Review
"Fascinating. . . . Christensen is a keen observer and first-rate storyteller. . . . Whether you're a native or a newcomer, Christensen's book will tell you things you didn't know about the people and forces behind [North Carolina's] astonishing transformation."
-- The Charlotte Observer
Review
Concentrating his focus on the upper level of state politics, the battles for the offices of governor and senator, Christensen explains the see-saw of Tar Heel sentiments. . . . Christensen thoroughly covers his topic.
--Foreword Magazine
Review
"Hotter and slicker than a politician's handshake at a pig pickin' in July."
-- Marcy Smith, Raleigh Raleigh News and Observer
Review
"A romp through 100 years of North Carolina politics...Help[s] readers understand the conflicts and contradictions that define North Carolina to this day."
-- Greensboro News and Record
Review
"A lively account of history [that] includes eyebrow-raising facts."
— Fayetteville Observer
Review
"Christensen has written a terrific . . . history here, one that is very readable and absolutely jammed full of facts, figures, and anecdotes. . . . [He] lay[s] the historical basis for North Carolina politics as they exist today."
-- Winston-Salem Journal
Review
"Lively and well crafted. . . . A valuable study of an important aspect of the state's history, acessible for both general and scholarly audiences."
-- Journal of Southern History "Presents the pivotal figures and elections of North Carolina's twentieth-century politics in an entertaining and insightful fashion. . . . Christensen's panoramic picture of the state's modern politics is much more than fascinating."
-- North Carolina Historical Review "A lively account of history [that] includes eyebrow-raising facts."
-- Fayetteville Observer Concentrating his focus on the upper level of state politics, the battles for the offices of governor and senator, Christensen explains the see-saw of Tar Heel sentiments. . . . Christensen thoroughly covers his topic.
--Foreword Magazine The well-told story of North Carolina's 20th-century political dynasties forged by patronage, cronyism, kickbacks, fraud, character assassination and the high art of stealing elections honorably. . . . Christensen succeeds where most political historians fail; he makes the story interesting. . . . A must-read for all who value insight into the realities of winning campaigns and governing in a democracy.
--John N. Davis, Raleigh News and Observer "Christensen has written a terrific . . . history here, one that is very readable and absolutely jammed full of facts, figures, and anecdotes. . . . [He] lay[s] the historical basis for North Carolina politics as they exist today."
-- Winston-Salem Journal This book is more than issues and events, however. It is an encyclopedic biographical reference of the people whose electoral success, achievements, and misadventures have long confounded those seeking to properly place North Carolina on the political spectrum.
--Howard E. Covington Jr., coeditor of The North Carolina Century: Tar Heels Who Made a Difference, 1900-2000 "A vivid tableau. . . . Informative, delightful and entertaining. . . . A page turner."
-- Wake County Physician "Hotter and slicker than a politician's handshake at a pig pickin' in July."
-- Marcy Smith, Raleigh Raleigh News & Observer "Fascinating. . . . Christensen is a keen observer and first-rate storyteller. . . . Whether you're a native or a newcomer, Christensen's book will tell you things you didn't know about the people and forces behind [North Carolina's] astonishing transformation."
-- The Charlotte Observer "A romp through 100 years of North Carolina politics...Help[s] readers understand the conflicts and contradictions that define North Carolina to this day."
-- Greensboro News and Record
About the Author
Rob Christensen has covered North Carolina politics for thirty-four years at the News and Observer in Raleigh.