![On the right, a photo of Julian Zelizer wearing glasses, a dark suit jacket, a white shirt and a tie looking slightly towards the left; on the right, a book cover for Zelizer's new book, "Burning Down The House" with a photo of the Capitol building at the bottom.](https://www.gpb.org/sites/default/files/styles/flexheight/public/2020-08/untitled_design_5.png?itok=zm3oOQXC)
Caption
Julian Zelizer's latest book, "Burning Down The House," offers one potential theory for why the American political environment has become so toxic: former Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich.
Credit: Courtesy of Julian Zelizer; Penguin Randomhouse