It is a 234-page serving of some much needed analysis of the modern American peace movement, more specifically, how it has managed to play an important role in balancing the popular discourse about war and patriotism. . . . It is a work of great significance in an area of research that, as the authors themselves point out, has been neglected for far too long.

Contemporary Sociology

How to persuade Americans, who are legitimately worried about terrorist attacks, that our current policies provoke more terrorism and are not in the national interest? The authors here make a valuable contribution to the study of how peace and justice movements grapple with these important questions. In the process, they also show it is time for the universities to devote more resources to conflict resolution studies.

Tom Hayden

Peace movement organizations operate in a diverse social and political climate, one distorted by rhetoric of fear and lies. That's why the peace movement has hungered of late for an informed, analytic framework to assess where we are and where we go next. Woehrle, Coy and Maney provide rich, deep, but fully accessible research that will sharpen our focus, increase our effectiveness, and provoke our community to "smart growth" through self-reflection. This is a very timely gift. It will give us direction with its GPS-like utility, and it offers encouragement in its C. Wright Mills-like sensibility for social change as a legitimate expression of patriotism.

Mark C. Johnson, executive director, Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA

In an era when U.S. nationalism and unilateralism are arguably the biggest threats to world peace and security, Woehrle, Coy, and Maney offer an important analysis of how culture can be used as a strategic tool for those seeking to promote a more peaceful and just world.

Jackie Smith, University of Pittsburgh

We wring our hands about the culture of violence that pervades our nation, and some of us expend enormous energy trying to change our country's rhetoric from one of war to one of peace. We act locally and from within esteemed national peace groups such asthe Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi, War Resisters League, and the American Friends Service Committee. But the wars-and the worries-persist. What should we do? And how? Contesting Patriotism gives us a language to talk about our dilemmas. In it, Lynne Woehrle, Pat Coy, and Greg Maney describe the rhetoric used by peace organizations and then give us real solutions as we look to the future. Contesting Patriotism is an academic book, complete with an 11-page bibliography, but it's written by professors who are themselves activists and is eminently readable. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to move from wailing about strategy to truly working for peace..

Sojourners

Those who advocate for peace have too often had their patriotism questioned. This carefully reasoned and richly researched book provides a set of tools to help reshape the discourse about who speaks for America in matters of war and peace. This timely book is vitally important for all who seek new ways to turn this country away from the catastrophic policies that, in the name of patriotism, have deeply harmed Americans' interests at home and abroad.

Andrew L. Barlow, U.C. Berkeley and Diablo Valley College; author of Between Fear and Hope: Globalization and Race in the United States