Norman Thomas by W.A. Swanberg

A richly detailed political biography tracing the life of a principled reformer who moved from the pulpit to the podium to become the leading voice of American socialism in the 20th century; it follows his early religious and intellectual formation, his conversion to democratic socialism, decades of activism as a civil-liberties and labor advocate, and his repeated presidential campaigns that sought to steer public debate on poverty, war, and social justice, while chronicling the compromises, controversies, and waning influence that shaped his complex legacy in American political life.