Italy and its Discontents 1980-2001 - Softcover

"A valuable reference for anyone studying or teaching Italian and European politics and society."--W.R. Smith, Choice ."..excellent..."-Alexander Stille, New York Review of Books ."..the book is useful and even entertaining."--Laura Collura Kahn, New York Sun ."..his book is valuable...usefully traces the phenomenon of Silvio Berlusconi."--David I. Fulton, Library Journal ."..Complex and fertile with 'thick description', [the book] radiates the paradoxes and ironies that abound in a troubled country."--The New York Times Book Review .".it offers a complete portrayal of the textures of Italian society."--"Publishers Weekly" ""Italy and its Discontents "is a tour-de force. Anyone concerned about the condition of the country will find it packed with material to think about and argue over"--"The Economist"

In this long-awaited book (already a major bestseller in Italy) Ginsborg has created a fascinating, sophisticated and definitive account of how Italy has coped, or failed to cope, with the past two decades. Contemporary Italy strongly mirrors Britain - the countries have roughly the same extent, population size and GNP - and yet they are fantastically different. Ginsborg sees this difference as most fundamentally clear in the role of the family and it is the family which is at the heart of Italian politics and business. Anyone wishing to understand contemporary Italy will find it essential to have this enormously attractive and intelligent book.