Hilton, Adam. True
Blues: The Contentious Transformation of the Democratic Party.
Pennsylvania, 2021. 280p bibl index ISBN 9780812252996, $55.00; ISBN
9780812297966.
In this imaginative,
lively book on the history of the Democratic Party, Hilton (Mount Holyoke
College) offers a challenge to existing scholarship on the evolution of the
Democratic Party since the end of the New Deal. Instead of affirming the role
of party leaders and officeholders as the main force in shaping the party’s
direction, this book argues that "conflict between extra-party
groups" (p. 2) controlled political changes. Over time, a
different type of political party was created—an advocacy party—that
diminished older sources of political authority. The advocacy party is the
result of several developments: the rise of political entrepreneurs, reform
movements that sought to overcome the limitations of the old party structure,
and persistent conflict among factions to define the party’s focus and
electoral strategies. The second half of the book provides exemplary case
studies of group activity related to the overall theme of the volume. This
study allows for a greater understanding of the change that has taken and
continues to take place in the Democratic Party.
--H. L. Cheek Jr., East Georgia State College
(Forthcoming, Choice, November 2022, Vol. 60 No. 3)
