Author and journalist John A. Jenkins has published a new history of five months in 1971 that he argues reshaped American politics, law and culture.
"Summer of '71: Five Months That Changed America" was released June 30 by Citadel, an imprint of Kensington Publishing, Hobart and William Smith Colleges announced Wednesday.
The book spans May through September 1971 and examines the Pentagon Papers, the Supreme Court's decision to hear Roe v. Wade, opposition to the Vietnam War, the Attica prison uprising and the expansion of executive power under President Richard Nixon.
Jenkins draws on newly available archival records, oral histories and White House recordings. He tells the story through people who experienced the period, including Daniel Ellsberg, New York Times reporter Neil Sheehan, attorney Sarah Weddington, national security adviser Henry Kissinger and activist Angela Davis.
Jenkins is an award-winning journalist, author and publisher whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ and The Washington Monthly. He previously served as president and publisher of CQ Press and founded Law Street Media.
His daughter, Christina Jenkins, graduated from Hobart and William Smith in 2011 with a degree in writing and rhetoric.
The author said he hopes the book's political history and personal narratives help readers understand current disputes while recognizing that democratic institutions have endured earlier periods of conflict.
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