It surprises me that this book is already out of print. I read every Wallace book I can find and this is the most complete I've seen.

This is one of the best books written about George Wallace, and by far, the most objective. While most writers tend to either praise or revile the former Alabama Governer, Mr. Lesher remains objective throughout the book. Not only does this book document Wallace's life and political career, it also details the impact that Wallace had on American Politics, an influence which is felt today. Overall, a superb read.

After reading this book, you truly will see the impact Wallace has had on politics and the right. Goldwater and Nixon obviously took their cues from this man. Carter has presented an excellent portrait of Wallace and the lengths he went to in order to be elected. My only regret in this book is a very small portrait of his terms as the chief executive of Alabama, but this is a minor quibble. A very enjoyable read.

Every year I teach this book for about 125 undergraduates in a course called "Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right." Though it is a course that welcomes controversy, one thing that virtually all of my students agree upon is that this is a GREAT book. Carter, the dean of Southern historians, is a masterful storyteller with a matchless eye for detail and a balanced political judgment. He shows how Wallace, far from being just another Southern demogogue, opens the way to the transformation of American politics and the rise of a new conservatism whose wellsprings are the rage and fear of white Americans in the face of the civil rights revolutions of the 1950s and 1960s. It's a brilliant, absorbing book and every year when I read it again I am struck by the rich craft of Carter's prose and the deep thoughtfulness of his assessments.

George Wallace was not an evil man, just an opportunist. He was a liberal on racial issues until he lost his first race for the Alabama governorship because of race baiting. Carter relates these surprising facts and documents how Wallace's brand of conservatism became adopted by mainstream candidates such as Ronald Reagan and also how an assassain's bullet pushed him toward that path of asking for redemption from the very people he had previously villified. Carter is an excellent biographer, and "The Politics of Rage," is well worthy of its subject.

Frady definately has the usual liberal anti-Wallace attitude, but he has a lively writing style and, at times, does give credit to some Wallace's populist accomplishments.

Even if you don't agree with the political message or the idiological slant of this character, you will be extremely glad that you read this character depiction. This takes you through each rise and fall along with his influence on many well-known Alabama political figures.