Fighting Bob La Follette

“Unger is a good storyteller, and her lively writing and strong sense of narrative move the book along at a brisk, enjoyable pace. . . . Fighting Bob La Follette effectively introduces La Follette to a new audience and reminds readers of the complexity of the man and his politics.” — Wisconsin Magazine of History

“Unger’s biography gives us a survey of the public life and private struggles of this flawed giant, who, in many ways, is a case study of the strengths and weaknesses of charismatic moral leadership.” — American Historical Review

“An interesting and notably personal account of the life and times of Wisconsin’s famed Progressive reformer.” — CHOICE

“Unger’s voice remains subdued and objective throughout the book, but La Follette manages to leap from its pages.” — New York Times Book Review

“This new biography . . . elegantly weaves together the story of La Follette’s family life with his heralded career. . . . Unger’s narrative is riveting. . . . [A] passionate, engaging and scholarly study.” — Publishers Weekly

“This is a psychologically sensitive portrait of a man whose life was a compelling mixture of failure and accomplishment, tragedy and triumph. . . . Carefully documented, sensitive, and readable biography.” — Political Psychology

“Unger mines voluminous collections of private papers and documents to reveal La Follette’s dynamism, childhood, married life, recurring illnesses, and sense of righteous perfection and his progressive ideas (e.g., the direct election of senators), which are now a part of American civic culture. . . . Unger’s critical biography hints that today’s America desperately needs democratic, grass roots-oriented politicians of high caliber like La Follette.” — Library Journal

“In our time of mediocre and timid political leadership, it is good to have a book that reminds us of the unique political courage of Bob La Follette.” — Howard Zinn, Boston University

“In Fighting Bob La Follette, Nancy Unger has produced a fascinating, insightful, and persuasive portrait of Wisconsin’s 'Little Giant.' She has a good feel for him and penetrates into his mind and character. Especially impressive is the way she shows the repetitive patterns in his life of intense involvement and overwork followed by withdrawals and often accompanied by physical breakdowns. There were clear psychological dimensions to that pattern, and she interprets those with sensitivity.” — John Milton Cooper Jr., University of Wisconsin-Madison

“As a crusader for political reform and direct democracy, a champion of the economic underdog, and by all accounts one of the most significant governors and senators of the twentieth century, Robert M. La Follette Sr. has long deserved a full-scale biography. This is it. Nancy Unger has produced a convincing portrait of 'Fighting Bob' that does justice to both the man and his political movement.” — Donald A. Ritchie, U.S. Senate Historical Office