In A Tolerable Anarchy, Jedediah Purdy traces the history of the American understanding of freedom, an ideal that has inspired the country’s best—and worst—moments, from independence and emancipation to war and economic uncertainty. Working from portraits of famous American lives, like Frederick Douglas and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Purdy asks crucial questions about our relationship to liberty: Does capitalism perfect or destroy freedom? Does freedom mean following tradition, God’s word, or one’s own heart? Can a nation of individuals also be a community of citizens? This is history that speaks plainly to our lives today, urging readers to explore our understanding of our country and ourselves, and a provocative look at one of America’s cherished principles.


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“Incisive and timely. . . . Purdy stands as a calm and articulate voice, able to put much of the current world situation into thoughtful and pragmatic historical context.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Offers refreshing insight into today's debates. . . . If you're looking for something to challenge common assumptions, Purdy's book . . . is well worth the effort." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A profound thinker and a fine writer. . . . He offers fascinating theorires.” —The Denver Post

“Purdy is a surprisingly sharp observer. . . . He has the ability to perceive the mix of good and bad in most things.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Keenly observed and brightly reported.” -—San Jose Mercury News


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Jedediah Purdy teaches law at Duke University and has also taught at Yale and Harvard. Purdy is the author of For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment in America Today and Being America: Liberty, Commerce, and Violence in an American World, and has written for The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, Democracy, and other publications.


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