The majority of the content of this book is opinion based, and there was plenty of instances where I disagreed with an argument or theory posed by Packer. Despite those instances though there was still enough here to make this one of the most rewarding books I have read this year. I tend to be much more critical about things than I ought to be, so this was a surprise to me at least.

In the meat of the book he describes the American people as belonging to four distinct groups: Free America, Smart America, Real America, and Just America. The descriptions and idiosyncrasies he attributes to each group I do agree with, his assessments were fair for the most part. Though just as vast and multitudinous as Walt Whitman was, America is even more so. Putting all American citizens into four categories is a bit oversimplified, though it a better alternative to just red vs. blue.

I understand it is not intended to be an absolute categorization, and that there is plenty of overlap between the groups. There are more ways to slice the pie, but if it were to just be sliced four ways then Packer did quite well.

What I found most rewarding about Last Best Hope is that it described the events of the past year and half and what led to us to this point into words as best as I have seen described thus far. It articulated the evolution of American politics in a way that I do not find too disagreeable. There may be better takes out there, but Packer's is quite on point.

Lastly, I am thankful to have been further acquainted by two people in American politics profiled in this book, Frances Perkins and Bayard Rustin. I look forward to discovering more about their lives and achievements in further reading.