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Jonathan Kaufman

When America Roared

How The 1980's Saved, Then Broke, The Country — And Led Us To Today

Discover how five decisions in the 1980s built the America we live in today.

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The job insecurity you feel.

The polarized news that enrages you.

The wealth gap in your neighborhood.

All of it traces back to five decisions made in the 1980s.

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This is that story.

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Jack Welch
Jack Welch

Did you know GE laid off more than 100,000 workers in the 1980s — while its stock price tripled?

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Mark Fowler
Mark Fowler

Did you know a single FCC decision in 1987 cleared the path for partisan talk radio, cable news, and the media wars we're still fighting?

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Evan Wolfson
Evan Wolfson

Did you know Evan Wolfson began mapping the legal road to marriage equality in 1983 — thirty-two years before the Supreme Court agreed with him?

Read more
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This is Jonathan Kaufman

  • Pulitzer Prize winner

  • Contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and Bloomberg News, and more

  • Director of the School of Journalism, Northeastern University

  • Eyewitness reporter at Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall

 

Read all about Jonathan's career, spanning four decades and counting.​

"Every book begins with a question I can't stop asking ...

... and a cast of characters who lived the answer. I dig through archives and track down the people who were in the room, then write the story the way I'd want to read it: propulsive, human, and grounded in what actually happened. The history is real. It just doesn't have to feel like homework."

Jonathan Kaufman

Praise for ...

When America Roared

"Beautifully written, smartly argued."

<p class="font_8">Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer-Prize winner, author of <em>KING: A Life</em></p>

Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer-Prize winner, author of KING: A Life

When America Roared

" a sobering, refreshing, and well-crafted analysis about how we ended up where we are, whether we like it or not.”

<p class="font_8">William D. Cohan, New York Times bestselling author of <em>The Last Tycoons</em> and <em>House of Cards</em></p>

William D. Cohan, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Tycoons and House of Cards

When America Roared

"A superb narrative that is instructive about how we got to the present era.”

<p class="font_8">Jill Abramson, former Executive Editor of <em>The New York Times</em>&nbsp;and author of <em>Merchants of Truth</em></p>

Jill Abramson, former Executive Editor of The New York Times and author of Merchants of Truth

The Last Kings of Shanghai

"Engrossing… a story that will excite readers"

<p class="font_8">Forbes</p>

Forbes

The Last Kings of Shanghai

"This bold blend of personal and political history will reward enthusiastic readers for their time."

<p class="font_8">Library Journal</p>

Library Journal

Broken Alliance

"Perceptive and even-handed… graceful analysis"

<p class="font_8">Christopher Lehmann-Haupt,<em> The New York Times</em></p>

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

The Last Kings of Shanghai

"brilliant, well-researched, and highly readable"

<p class="font_8">Qiu Xiaolong, Los Angeles Review of Books</p>

Qiu Xiaolong, Los Angeles Review of Books

Few speakers can say they reported from Tiananmen Square and the Berlin Wall — and then spent the decades since watching their consequences unfold. Jonathan brings that firsthand perspective to the stage, helping audiences understand not just how we got here, but how lasting change actually gets built.

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