"Skrentny points out in The Ironies of Affirmative Action that the 'most radical civil-rights employment measure in American history,' the Philadelphia Plan—which imposed quotas to integrate that city's construction unions—was resurrected in 1969 by the Nixon Administration. Republicans share the responsibility for a policy of counting and choosing by race, and their motive was perfectly cynical: to weaken Democrats by driving a wedge between unions and minorities."

Alan Wolfe | New Yorker

"Nixon, who won the 1968 election by less than one percentage point, was also looking for a long-term strategy to undercut the Democrats. Affirmative action was useful to him, Skrentny writes, since it 'placed on the table something to help African-Americans at the expense of unions, producing discontent and factional rivalry in two of the liberal establishment’s major supporters.'"

Andrew Hacker | New York Review of Books

"Most of those who debate affirmative action, notes Skrentny, don't examine how the issue emerged. Thus, his textured, lucid explication of a complex controversy is a vital contribution to American political discourse. The Right proclaims color blindness; however, its members condone other preferential policies, such as those for veterans. The Left, which once also embraced color blindness, never lobbied for affirmative action; instead, it was the work of white male government and business elites. Skrentny describes how the color-blind model, at least until the early '60s, was thought to lead to black equality. But meritocratic procedures don't always work. Thus in response to urban riots, black nationalism and Cold War pressures, affirmative action seemed a solution. Also, the author adds, the policy—which produced measurable hiring statistics—fit into the pragmatism of government agencies pressured by civil rights groups. Soon affirmative action became linked, in public discourse and court decisions, to older civil rights or equality traditions. The author offers no policy prescriptions; rather, he suggests that global changes—including the end of the Cold War and the rise of nationalism—have made arguing against affirmative action popular."

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A provocative examination of affirmative action as a policymaking paradigm. . . . Adds important context to the affirmative action debate."

Kirkus Reviews

"Provides a penetrating analysis of affirmative action's history and controversies in terms of conflicts between cherished myths and complex realities and, for specific individuals, between personal objectives and audience expectations."

Booklist, Starred Review

"A fresh institutional perspective on the political and cultural origins of affirmative-action policies. . . . Skrentny's thoughtful and thorough work is highly recommended."

Library Journal

"A useful . . . book. It does much to explain the origin and evolution of affirmative action, and it punctures some comfortable assumptions of both opponents and supporters."

H-Pol

"A most welcome contribution, and provides an indispensable historical perspective to the current policy debate."

Social Forces