Published on Jan. 3, 2020

CHOICE, a publishing unit of the Association of College & Research Libraries, which is a division of the American Library Association awarded Professor Carli Conklin’s latest book, The Pursuit of Happiness in the Founding Era: An Intellectual History (University of Missouri Press, 2019) with an “Outstanding Academic Title of 2019” award.

In the CHOICE review, Conklin’s conclusions and nuanced treatment receive specific praise.

“Conklin offers a deep and rich analysis that persuasively demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness was far more than a substitute for property. Ultimately, she concludes, the contemporaneous understanding of happiness encompassed a multi-layered array of legal, religious, and philosophical constructs that, properly discerned and appreciated, provide the appropriate cultural context for understanding Jefferson’s choice of words. … Conklin’s nuanced treatment makes an important contribution to an evolving cross-disciplinary conversation. It deserves a broad audience.”—Choice

The award is granted to 10 percent of approximately 6,000 titles CHOICE reviews annually.