Lawler paints a picture that is significantly more interesting, complete, and accurate than that presented by the bulk of the Tocqueville literature.

The Intercollegiate Review

A learned and sympathetic profile of Tocqueville and his thought . . .

First Things

A wonderful book. It will be impossible for serious Tocqueville scholars to ignore it. It is simply the only book I know of that offers a coherent interpretation of Tocqueville's writings and, indeed, of his life as a whole.

Delba Winthrop, Harvard University

. . . highly original and extremely thoughtful . . . everyone interested in liberty can learn from it.

Glenn Tinder, University of Massachusetts

. . . opens up new avenues in the study of Tocqueville.

Roger Boesche

Lawler's book synthesizes Tocqueville's thought into a convenient, thoughtful, critical analysis of an influential postmodern writer.

Choice Reviews