Shafer and Wagner provide a high-altitude look at electoral change in the United States over the past three-quarters of a century. While some authors will quibble with details, the book provides a welcome complement to more focused studies of particular aspects of the broader picture. Additionally, Shafer's and Wagner's analytical approach reminds us that understanding largescale political change over long time periods requires attention to sociology as well as politics.
Regina L. Wagner is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alabama and coauthor, with Byron Shafer, of The Long War over Party Structure (2019).
Byron E. Shafer is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin and the author of many books, including The American Political Pattern (2016).