“[A]n extremely worthy work. . . . [T]he learning and analysis are . . . solid.” — Alexander Bloom , Journal of American History
“[B]road ranging and . . . rich in insights. . . . Irr’s book makes a lasting contribution to the growing body of post-Cold War commentaries on the leftist culture of the Depression decade and beyond.” — Barbara Foley , American Historical Review
“Irr argues that U.S. and Canadian leftist literary culture during the 1930s was not ideologically homogenous; rather, it was multivocal and often as internally conflicted as it was aggressively activist. . . . [A]n interesting contribution to the changing view of 1930s cultural politics.” — Choice
"[A] broad scope. . . . Irr’s project, by and large, succeeds in contesting the scholarly view of the 1930s as a kind of factory of literary solidarity and cloning. . . . [A] valuable regrounding . . . ."
— Tamas Dobozy , Canadian Literature
"[A]ll of Irr’s readings force us to look beyond our stereotypes of the 1930s and to begin the harder work of sorting out the ‘actually existing cultural formations’ that characterized the period. This alone should earn The Suburb of Dissent a place on the bookshelf of those interested either in the 1930s or twentieth-century literary history more generally." — Andrew Hoberek , Modernism/Modernity
“An extraordinary effort. The Suburb of Dissent will have a broad appeal to that growing cohort of scholars interested in ‘revisioning’ the literary 1930s.” — Paul Buhle, New York University
“Irr provides a kaleidoscopic view of the recurring themes dominating 1930s intellectuals’ writings. . . . The Suburb ofDissent will broaden the range of 1930s scholarship by insisting that the literature of American class conflict can only be fully understood comparatively.” — Paula Rabinowitz, University of Minnesota