Jonathan Kaufman — When America Roared: How the 1980s Saved, Then Broke, the Country--and Led Us to Today - with David Wessel
Jonathan Kaufman presents *When America Roared*, his sweeping account of the 1980s and the decade’s lasting impact on American political, economic, cultural, and social life. The book traces how a country beset by inflation, high interest rates, the Iran hostage crisis, Soviet expansion, Japanese manufacturing competition, and seemingly entrenched racial and geopolitical divisions changed dramatically over the course of ten years.
Through stories of the people and institutions that drove those changes, Kaufman examines Ronald Reagan’s conservative revolution, Jack Welch’s model of corporate leadership, Mark Fowler’s deregulation of television, the rise of conservative talk radio and hip-hop, and the growth of movements for women’s rights and LGBTQ+ legal equality. He also considers the experiences of figures including Karen Nussbaum, Jane Fonda, Evan Wolfson, and Barack Obama, along with his own reporting from Tiananmen Square and Prague. Kaufman will discuss the book with David Wessel.
When: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Showtimes: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tickets: Free
Seating: First come, first served.
Format: The event page includes a livestream option.
Author: Jonathan Kaufman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose work has appeared in *The Boston Globe*, *The Wall Street Journal*, and Bloomberg News. His reporting has covered labor, grassroots activism, racism, employment discrimination, and corporate tax avoidance. He has received the Gerald Loeb Award and George Polk Award, among other honors, and directs Northeastern University’s School of Journalism. His books include *The Last Kings of Shanghai*, *A Hole in the Heart of the World*, and the National Jewish Book Award-winning *Broken Alliance*.
Conversation: David Wessel is a senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and directs its Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Before joining Brookings, he spent 30 years at *The Wall Street Journal*, most recently serving as economics editor and writing the *Capital* column. He frequently appears on NPR’s *Morning Edition*. Wessel is the author of *In Fed We Trust*, *Red Ink*, and *Only the Rich Can Play*.
Featured Book: *When America Roared: How the 1980s Saved, Then Broke, the Country—and Led Us to Today* by Jonathan Kaufman, a hardcover published September 15, 2026.
Book Price: $35.00.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask accessibility questions, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The venue says it will make efforts to accommodate requests made up to the event.
Run time: Not specified.
Age guidance: Not specified.