Before the Storm cover

Before the Storm

by Rick Perlstein

Tells the story of the rise of the conservative movement in the liberal 1960s. The figure at the heart of the story is Barry Goldwater, the handsome renegade Republican from Arizona who loathed the federal government, despised liberals on sight, and mocked "peaceful coexistence" with the USSR. Perlstein's narrative also examines the whole world of conservatives and their antagonists during the 1960s, including William F. Buckley, Nelson Rockefeller, and Bill Moyers.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?