This is the first good book I've read in a looooong time. I wish there was a word for the genre of history-ish books that take one pivotal event and trace all that led up to it (from the pogroms in Russian villages and agricultural disasters in Italy that resulted in specific young women working at this factory) and all that came from it (such as new safety laws). Recommended.
The ethnographic parts of this book were a little dull, but his sociological discussions were fascinating--I've never heard a liberal describe conservative beliefs with such charity and clarity.