Cover of Common Ground

Book · 1986 · Social Science

Common Ground

A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

by J. Anthony Lukas · Recommended by 2 people on 2 podcasts

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Perhaps my favorite book in the whole world which is Common Ground by J Anthony Lucas which is a book about the Boston busing crisis.
Jeffrey Toobin · The Book Review · Sep 2020 Listen at 17:23

The best things said about it

1 of 2 · every mention
Recommended
Since we’re talking about politics, I think if you ask me to name the best political book, it would probably be j. Anthony lukas’s common ground, which is a book about busing in Boston and which is the first political event that I have any memory of from being a child.
Christopher Caldwell The Ezra Klein Show · Mar 2026

Why people recommend it

Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas is an exhaustive and celebrated work of narrative journalism that examines the lives of three different families in Boston over several decades, focusing deeply on the traumatic desegregation busing crisis of the 1970s. Christopher Caldwell recommended J. Anthony Lukas's book on The Ezra Klein Show as part of his curated list of favorite political reads, noting that it stands out as perhaps the best political book because it explores a subject tied to the first political event he could remember from his childhood. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Toobin also praised the publication on The Book Review, naming it perhaps his favorite book in the whole world. Toobin highlighted the depth of the narrative regarding the Boston busing crisis, utilizing the title to anchor a broader conversation about exceptional historical writing and the deep social divisions that shape municipal politics. Both commentators underscored the extraordinary scope and emotional resonance of Lukas's reporting, treating the book as a masterclass in American social history and political journalism.

Every mention

2 counted mentions
Christopher Caldwell Since we’re talking about politics, I think if you ask me to name the best political book, it would probabl… 1
Recommended
“Since we’re talking about politics, I think if you ask me to name the best political book, it would probably be j. Anthony lukas’s common ground, which is a book about busing in Boston and which is the first political event that I have any memory of from being a child.”
Jeffrey Toobin perhaps my favorite book in the whole world which is Common Ground by J Anthony Lucas which is a book about… 1
Recommended
“perhaps my favorite book in the whole world which is Common Ground by J Anthony Lucas which is a book about the Boston busing crisis”

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