Kim Phillips-Fein Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Kimberly Phillips-Fein

Kimberly Phillips-Fein is an American historian based at Columbia University. Before Columbia, she taught at New York University in two different programs. Her work focuses on modern American political and economic life.

As a writer, Phillips-Fein has a clear way of sharing hard ideas without making them feel heavy. She builds stories from deep research, and those tales pull readers in. Her skill is in showing how past events connect to big changes like government budgets or public programs. People find her books engaging because she never loses sight of the human side of history.

One of her better known books is called Fear City. It looks at New York’s money troubles in the 1970s and how that led to a push for less spending on public services. That book became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History in 2018. Her writing is direct and factual, yet it still feels lively. Many readers and critics point to her gift for turning complex moments into a clear, steady story.

Phillips-Fein reaches readers around the world by sticking to facts and avoiding unnecessary flourishes. She writes in a straightforward manner, yet her sentences vary in length and structure. Some paragraphs move quickly. Others slow down to unpack a single piece of evidence. This mix keeps a person turning the page.

Kimberly Phillips-Fein continues her research and writing without slowing down. She has new projects in the works, though she keeps the exact topics under wraps for now. Given her past work, readers can expect more sharp, well sourced stories that turn complicated history into clear ideas. Her future books will likely find fresh ways to connect past politics to present day life.

Early and Personal Life

She first opened her eyes in August of 1975. The place she called home as a young person was downtown Brooklyn, a crowded and energetic section of New York City. Living there, she would have found it easy to walk to places full of books. Those kinds of surroundings can push any kid toward reading and putting words on paper just because it feels good.

The year 1997 marked when she finished a Bachelor of Arts degree. That degree was in the field of history, and she got it from the University of Chicago. While studying there, a student handles real old materials and learns how to put together clean, easy-to-follow reasoning. That kind of schooling very likely made her want even more to connect small bits of information found in old notes and files.

Once her time at Chicago ended, she moved to Columbia University. Her aim there was to earn a doctorate. Working on high-level research at Columbia taught her how to take tiny pieces of the past and stretch them into bigger concepts. As the years went by, she turned into an author who makes strong, truth-based tales, keeping the simple and clear approach she learned early on.

Writing Career

She finished her doctorate and then took a teaching position at New York University. During the 2008-09 school year, she had a fellowship at NYU’s Center for the Humanities. That fellowship helped her write her debut book, called Invisible Hands. That book follows rich people who worked against New Deal programs from the World War II period all the way to when Ronald Reagan became president.

After that, she got a different fellowship from the Cullman Center for the 2014-15 school year. That fellowship allowed her to start digging into material for a second book. That second book, titled Fear City, hit store shelves in 2017. It looks at where New York City’s 1975 money crisis came from and what its lasting effects have been.

Fear City ended up as a finalist in line for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in History. Then in 2020, she won a Guggenheim Fellowship. She still puts out new work at this time. There are more projects waiting down the road.

Fear City

Kim Phillips-Fein wrote the nonfiction economic history titled Fear City. Metropolitan Books released that title on April 18, 2017. The book came out in hardcover and paperback formats through that same publisher.

The book itself looks back at a striking moment in New York’s past. In 1975, word got out that the city was very close to running out of money, which surprised many people because New York was the nation’s largest metropolis. Banks and political leaders used that crisis to argue that social liberalism had failed, so the city had to cut basic services, freeze pay, and let thousands of workers go. Drawing on fresh archives and firsthand interviews, the author shows how that budget fight turned into a bigger clash over what kind of city New York would become, with effects still seen in today’s talk about government spending.

Readers come away from this book feeling they have learned something new on every page. The story moves at a good clip without ever feeling rushed. Facts are presented cleanly, so the material is easy to follow. It is a solid choice for anyone curious about how a big city handles hard times.

Invisible Hands

Kim Phillips-Fein wrote the nonfiction economic history Invisible Hands. W. W. Norton & Company released that title on January 5, 2009. The book once again came out in both hardcover and paperback editions through that same publisher.

Here is a story about business leaders who tried to push back against the New Deal. Starting in the mid-1930s, a small group of well-known businessmen joined together to fight what they called socialism and the “nanny state.” They funded research centers, opposed labor unions, and set up groups to spread their views, all long before the culture wars of later decades. The book follows unusual figures like Lemuel Ricketts Boulware of GE and Jasper Crane of DuPont, showing how their steady, dolla-by-dollar campaign helped move conservative ideas toward election wins.

Many have found the book full of interesting characters not often discussed in typical history classes. The story moves along at a steady clip without getting bogged down in dry facts. Each chapter offers a new reason to keep turning the page. It is a good pick for anyone wanting to learn how business ideas shaped modern politics.