‘This second installment of the American Song and Struggle series secures Will Kaufman’s rightful place among the great music historians who over generations have reminded us that music has and always will play a vital role in the shaping of who we are as a nation, and as human beings with a heart that beats. Astounding and comprehensive, this book should be read by anyone who has ever been awestruck or inspired or haunted by the power of a single song. Only a writer of Kaufman’s caliber, sharp wit, and research prowess can pull off a book like this - at a time like this - and make it a vibrant and compelling read.’ Tim Z. Hernandez, author of All They Will Call You and They Call You Back

‘Along with his previous volume covering settlement to the Great Depression, Will Kaufman has written what will surely be the canonical history of American protest music for many years to come. With his encyclopedic knowledge of music history, alongside a passionate sense of present-day political urgency, he builds the most inclusive narrative of the topic to have ever been constructed, one that integrates union ballads, art song, Indigenous modernisms, corridos from la frontera, hip-hop screeds, and much more. It’s not many pages into this book that one realizes they are actually reading a history of America itself.’ Gustavus Stadler, author of Woody Guthrie: An Intimate Life