Making a New Deal

Why people recommend it

Making a New Deal by Lizabeth Cohen is a historical examination of how working-class Chicagoans shaped American politics, labor unions, and consumer culture during the Great Depression and the New Deal era. When Mark Dunkelman appeared as a guest on The Ezra Klein Show on April 28, 2026, in the episode What We Got Right — and Wrong — in ‘Abundance’, he highlighted this volume during the show's closing book recommendations. Mark Dunkelman told the host and listeners that this was the very first book he always recommended to anyone interested in the subject, emphasizing his deep admiration for its scholarly weight. He praised the work by stating that he considered it to be the greatest pure book of history that he had ever read. By bringing up Lizabeth Cohen's extensive research, the guest pointed the audience toward a foundational text that explains how ordinary citizens forged new collective institutions and cultural identities amidst severe economic turmoil. The endorsement reflected Mark Dunkelman's high regard for rigorous historical analysis, offering listeners a compelling entry point into understanding the roots of modern American political coalitions, labor movements, and the profound social transformations of the mid-twentieth century.

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