In the wake of the November elections, the Tea Party has gone from a well-funded, media-savvy, fringe group to become the new kids in the class of the 2011 Congress. Their presence is unpredictable and potentially explosive. Sarah Palin looks increasingly likely to mount a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Tea partiers Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Dan Coats now sit in the Senate alongside the GOP's new poster boy, Marco Rubio. In total some 30 Tea Party supporters won seats in Congress. Their party is evidently here to stay – but what exactly does that mean for the future of the country?

Just published by OR Books, At the Tea Party presents a lively and informed expose of this explosive new force in American politics. It doesn't paint a pretty picture. Read these pages and you will come to understand the coalition of anti-abortion, pro-gun advocates who comprise the tea parties' shock troops. You will discover what MSNBC contributor Melissa Harris-Lacewell and Going Rouge editors Rich Kim and Betsy Reed have to say about the racism, homophobia and sexism that fuels the tea party fizz. You will follow the money that flowed from the shadowy organizations of the super rich to pay for the ads that won the races. You will learn about the unscrupulous gold-peddlers who are virtually the sole underwriters of Glenn Beck's Fox News show. And you will get the up-close-and-personal scoop on movement's biggest stars - Sarah from Wasilla and the mercurial, crying clown, Glenn Beck.

With contributions from a wide range of leading experts, At the Tea Party sorts the facts from the frenzy. Most importantly, it looks forward. Will the tea partiers in Congress launch a civil war within the Republican Party? Could they take over the GOP and end up running the country? And what role can the Left play in preventing the tea partiers from remaking America in their own fervid image?

Combining investigative zeal, smart, hard facts, and a leavening of sharp wit and political passion, At the Tea Party stands out among books on the Tea Party phenomenon as a must-read for anyone interested in the turbulent future of American politics.