The are pluses and minuses to Davis Thelen's biography on Wisconsin's "Fighting Bob" La Follette.

The biggest plus, it was short (211 pages) and to the point. Not filled with mindless babble about every little personal detail of the man's life, like you see some biographers write.

The book also shows, in Thelen's opinion, how La Follette was really out to be get re-elected, in the earliest years of his political life, rather than become the insurgent leader of the people. According to Thelen that came later, not from the onset.

The biggest minuses were that it focused way to much on the progressive insurgence movement. While this was a major part of La Follette's life it was not everything! Some of Thelen's views are also very controvesal and subject for much debate.

If your looking for a quick overview of progressivism, insurgency, and Robert La Follette then this is the book for you. If you are looking for details you will be disappointed.

I found this book to be an easily readable, rewarding biography of Wisconsin Senator Robert LaFollette. This book focuses on his political beginnings as a mainstream politician and then on his shift to the left and his leadership role in the rapidly growing progressive movement from the 1890s to the 1920s. The book is fast-moving and doesn't get bogged down in the details, yet it does give the reader an extensive look at his political career and influence. The section on LaFollette's opposition to World War I and the attempt to expel him from the Senate because of that is food for thought, and that dark period in U.S. history is well worth further study (see also the cases of the IWW and Eugene Debs, and James J. Martin's book "An American Adventure in Bookburning"). LaFollette was joined in this opposition by only a tiny handful of other elected officials, such as Senator George Norris of Nebraska, and he was probably the only one who stuck to his principles and continued to criticize the war even as it was being waged. Robert LaFollette's influence in politics can still be felt today, especially in his native Wisconsin. Overall this should be a fascinating book to anybody who is interested in the history of American populist and progressive politics.