Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson - Hardcover

"A lively account. . . . Reynolds devotes close to half the text to an illuminating appreciation of the Jacksonian influence on literature and art, with shorter discussions on religion and popular fads."--The Boston Globe

"Offers a fine addition to the literature on pre-Civil War American history in this account of the years 1815-1848. . . Even knowledgable readers will relish the chapters on social history. . . . Reynolds delivers a straightforward, insightful history of America during its bumptious adolescence."--Publishers Weekly

"A really good volume of history provides the reader with a keen sense of perspective and a genuine appreciation of the past. This is exactly what David S. Reynolds does in Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson."--BookPage

"It's Reynolds's depiction of an exploding popular culture that makes Waking Giant an unmitigated delight. . . . An intellectual history and group portrait of America turning from a republic to a popular democracy during the Age of Jackson."--Douglas Brinkley, The Washington Post Book World

"Kaleidoscopic. . . . The result of Reynolds' research is a happy mosaic of an era that may well be, just as the author suggests, the 'richest' in American history."--The Wall Street Journal

"An engaging new book. . . . Waking Giant is at its most entertaining when Reynolds sifts through the nonpolitical world, tracking the rise of abolitionists, feminists, utopians, union leaders, and more than a few crackpots."--The Christian Science Monitor

"A remarkable synthesis, impressive on many levels. . . . Reynolds applies his vast erudition to a period too often treated as mere prelude to the country's most destructive war. . . . Reynolds is most adept handling the period's art and literature. . . ."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Reynolds writes history as entertainingly as anyone out there and Waking Giant is no exception."--The Providence Journal

"Mr. Reynolds brings this remarkable man to life. . . . A terrific introduction of succinct length to a period in our history that was once ignored, a period increasingly recognized as a time when the foundations of much of modern America were laid."--John Steele Gordon, The New York Times

"Reynolds asks us to more carefully consider the brawling, chaotic, boisterous years from 1815 to 1848 as a fascinating age in its own right. In this he succeeds handsomely. . . . Engaging and insightful."--Jay Winik, The New York Times Book Review