History professor releases new book

Portland State history professor David A. Horowitz will share his new book, “America’s Political Class Under Fire: The 20th Century’s Great Culture War,” with the PSU community tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Room 238 of Smith Memorial Student Union. There will be a reception followed by a reading and book signing.

Horowitz’s book discusses the tension between socially involved intellects and their critics over the last century, beginning in the 1920s.

“I wanted to tell the story of controversy surrounding political intellectuals,” Horowitz said.

Horowitz has already written two other books, “Inside the Klavern: The Secret History of a 1920’s Ku Klux Klan” and “Beyond Left and Right: Insurgency and the Establishment.” He also co-wrote a textbook used at PSU titled “On the Edge: The U.S. Since 1945.”

The idea for his latest book came while co-writing the textbook. Horowitz was then able to write during his sabbatical from 1999 to 2000. He noted that the libraries of PSU and Lewis and Clark College were where a lot of his research was done.

Horowitz began teaching at PSU in 1968 and looks forward to questions from his colleagues and other attendees at the book signing.

“I think it’ll be a very exciting event,” he said.

While the event will only provide a glimpse of Horowitz’s work, he believes it will be great for a wide audience.

“I take pride in writing in a way that’s accessible to anyone that picks the book up. It’s not a book about theory,” he said.

The reading and book signing will be sponsored by PSU Friends of History and the PSU Bookstore.