Includes bibliographical references (pages 331-365) and index.

Part I. From chaos and confusion to the good war: Prologue. Introducing 1919 -- 1. Prosperity and all that jazz, and toward the black hole: 1919 - 1929 -- 2. Death, destruction, and deliverance: 1930 - 1945 --

Part II. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise: The second coming of capitalism: 3. Creating a cold war and a global economy: 1945 - 1960 -- 4, The sixties: fasten your seatbelts --

Part III. Paradise lost: 5. President Queeg and his merry men; and the remains of the decade: 1970 - 1980 -- 6. Cloud cuckoo land: Reagan 1980 - 1988 -- 7. The long morning after: Since Reagan -- Epilogue, Into the teeth of the storm.

"Blues for America combines an historical critique of the “American Century” with journalistic reports and personal anecdotes. Doug Dowd, an economics professor and long-time troublemaker, traces the socioeconomic history of our country decade by decade in a style reminiscent of Dos Passos’ U.S.A. Blues for America is an engrossing read, filled with incisive observations and biting humor. A keen observer and storyteller, Dowd was also a participant in this history. His personal stories include: a behind the scenes description of a battleship photo-op for General MacArthur during World War II; Cornell University faculty-board meetings at the height of the McCarthy era, where some decidedly nonprofessional remarks fly; travels through Vietnam and Laos with Noam Chomsky in 1970, where he unexpectedly discovers Ross Perot; and many others. Blues for America makes FDR, the Depression, Ike, Korea, Vietnam, and all the movements of the 1960s vividly real for readers of all ages." -- Monthly Review