Rachel Maddow, the liberal MSNBC host and author of multiple bestsellers, will publish a history of the U.S. Department of Justice on Nov. 10, one week after the 2026 midterm elections, her publisher Crown announced Monday.
The book, “Department of Fate,” will cover what Crown describes as “triumphs and misdeeds” across the DOJ’s 150-year history, from the “riotous chaos of the Red Scare” after World War I to “cabinet scandals that make Watergate look like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” It will also examine the upending of a wide range of norms during the second administration of President Donald Trump.
Maddow, known as a liberal commentator and host of a nightly MSNBC program, framed the department’s role in sweeping terms. “As goes DOJ, so goes the republic,” she said in a statement released by Crown. “What DOJ chooses to pursue — and what it lets go — can determine the boundaries of our political rights, our economy, and the fundamental question of whether the protections written into our Constitution are just words, or real life.”
The book is positioned as “both a diagnosis and a prescription for the American institution,” Crown said. Maddow’s previous works include “Blowout,” an examination of the oil and gas industry; “Drift,” about the military; and most recently “Prequel,” which focused on the fragility of American democracy. She has sold millions of copies and regularly appears on bestseller lists.
“Department of Fate” will be released through Crown, a division of Penguin Random House. No advance excerpts were made available.