A Dangerous Stir

“Both a dramatic narrative of the events of the Reconstruction and a groundbreaking new look at what drove these events, A Dangerous Stir is also a valuable look at the role of fear in the politics of the time — and in politics in general.” — McCormick Messenger

“Most historians write about what happened in the past. Summers, in his new history of Reconstruction, instead writes about what failed to occur. . . . [And] chronicles the fears that gripped the people of the era.” — Virginia Quarterly Review

“Offers provocative historical context for thinking about the reactionary rhetoric of today.” — Civil War Book Review

“Summers’s premise is an intriguing one and his book maintains a feeling of uncertainty, even though the story is well known.” — H-Civil War

“Deeply researched and cleverly written, this new examination of the dark side of Reconstruction will inform, enlighten, and may create a 'stir' of its own.” — The Journal of American History

“Based on extensive research and written in readable prose, this stimulating study is not a general study of 1865-1869. . . . Provides excellent brief biographies. . . . Recommended.” — CHOICE

“Summers carefully teases apart the myriad strands of wartime and postwar political discourse, finding more similarities than one might think between Republican and Democratic rhetoric. . . . Richly detailed and tightly argued. . . . A powerful and fascinating contribution to the literature of Reconstruction politics.” — Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“A fascinating departure from much of the existing literature on the postwar era.” — The Alabama Review

“Carefully researched and congenially written. . . . An important and convincing book, as a well as a very engaging one. . . . Should encourage historians to pay more attention to the role of fear in Reconstruction-era politics.” — Journal of Southern History

“Summer’s clear prose dances with apt flourishes. . . . fresh, insightful, and relevant.” — North Carolina Historical Review