My Washington Post review of David Hackett Fischer's new book

I've long been an admirer of David Hackett Fischer's works, especially Albion's Seed, Champlain's Dream, and Liberty and Freedom, which helped inform my own work on American regionalism. So it was a pleasure to have been assigned to review his new work for the Washington Post, which is in the paper this weekend.

As you'll read, Fairness and Freedom compares two western democracies with British colonial origins -- New Zealand and the United States -- and asks why the latter has placed overwelming emphasis on liverty and freedom, the former, fairness. He makes the case that the U.S. could perhaps learn a little from its South Pacific cousin. With "fairness" reentering the American political lexicon this political season, it's a timely topic for this country at least.