"Lively, utterly convincing. . . . A superbly researched study of grassroots political mobilization. . . . [Dochuk] skillfully traces a continuous narrative stretching from the Dust Bowl to Ronald Reagan, and demonstrates with prodigious research how this narrative fits into a much broader American canvas. . . . From Bible Belt to Sunbelt is an important book."
Chris ... Read moreLehmann - New Republic "Darren Dochuk has painted a vista from which unfolds the creation of Reagan’s nation, as the California dreams of Southern evangelicals become the American dreams of Sunbelt conservatives. Through the guiding telescope of Dochuk’s prose, we meet a fascinating cast of characters destined to be staples in future tellings of this important story. This much anticipated book is well worth the wait."
Steven P. Miller, author of Billy Graham and the Rise of the Republican South "The nation is today color-coded into red and blue. In this tour de force of research, narrative, and analysis, a brilliant young historian chronicles how Southern California served as the matrix for this enduring bifurcation. Beneath the sunshine and the palm trees, uprooted evangelicals experienced a Great Awakening that transformed American politics in our era."
Kevin Starr, University of Southern California "With narrative authority and sparkling insight, Darren Dochuk explains how and why Southern California became the crucible of the Christian Right. Anyone who wants to understand the history of modern American conservatism should read this book."
Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan Show Less