The Populist Explosion

Praise

One of the New York Times’ “6 Books to Help Understand Trump’s Win”

Named one of the Best Books of 2016 by Bloomberg

“Well-written and well-researched, powerfully argued and perfectly timed.” The Economist

“John B. Judis’ The Populist Explosion was published just before Mr. Trump’s election, but that improbable victory only confirms the book’s thesis that Western democracies are in some ways failing to represent their citizens.... Mr. Judis’ analysis is sharp and engaging.” Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal

“In November, the fate of the Republic will turn on one question: How popular is the populism of Donald Trump?... The Populist Explosion[is a] cogent and exceptionally clarifying guide to a political phenomenon that is at once elusive and, yes, explosive.” Jonathan Alter, New York Times Book Review

“The Populist Explosion is far and away the most incisive examination of the central development in contemporary politics: the rise of populism on both the right and the left. John Judis, whose track record is unrivaled, is the ideal author to tackle the subject, and he has done a superb job, placing contemporary trends, including the rise of Donald Trump, in historical perspective. Judis demonstrates the crucial role of the 2008 recession both here and in Europe in discrediting the neoliberal agenda. This is must reading.” Thomas Edsall, New York Times

“Shows why journalists who have a sense of history, and its irony, need not be bewildered by the astonishing revolt against globalized elites in our time.” Pankaj Mishra, Bloomberg

“Not only do these volumes provide conceptual clarity—historian David Greenberg has lamented that the term is so overused, it risks losing all meaning”but they also point to the risks of dismissing populist outbreaks, suggesting that they could continue shaping American politics on Nov. 9 and beyond.” Carlos Lozada, Washington Post

“The Populist Explosionblends groundbreaking reporting with insightful scholarship in the best guide yet to the most important political phenomenon of our time.” Michael Lind, author of Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States

Named one of “11 Books that Will Make You Smarter about Politics” by Business Insider

A Fareed Zakaria GPS Book of the Week

“An intelligent guide to a phenomenon by no means over.” Fareed Zakaria, CNN

“The fact remains that in The Populist Explosion, as elsewhere, Judis hews to a much higher standard of sociological and political analysis than nearly any other American liberal. Whatever he makes of the situation, he faces it more squarely than most.” Tim Barker, New Left Review

“If you read no other political book this year, read The Populist Explosion by John B. Judis, which brilliantly sets out the connection to present circumstances.” Mark Mardell, BBC

“Writing from the left, with a qualified admiration for the populist impulse, Judis contends that populist insurgencies historically have served as warning signs of larger brewing political crises.” Tory Newmyer, Fortune

“A sweeping narrative—rich in historical and political argument—that ably ties together the insurgencies on both sides of the Atlantic.” Jedediah Purdy, The Nation

“A terrific short book that is a brisk tour of the horizon, of the right and left versions of populism, their history and current state, with a useful comparison of the populist upsurge in the United States and Europe. His general insight: Populism gains adherence whenever mainstream parties let ills fester.” Robert Kuttner, American Prospect

“What does history tell us about the future? John Judis, the author of The Populist Explosion, says that America may be just in the first phase of its new populist insurrection.” Peter Hartcher, Sydney Morning Herald

“John Judis demonstrates again why he is one of American’s best political journalists. There is no wiser or better informed analysis of contemporary voter discontent on both sides of the Atlantic than The Populist Explosion.” Michael Kazin, editor ofDissent, author of The Populist Persuasion: An American History and War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914–1918