His books include Capital Moves: RCA's Seventy-Year Quest for Cheap Labor,[3] Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class, and The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics.
He further stated that "Cowie writes a complex story of capital migration, class formation, and social change.
[13] Cowie's book, Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class was published in 2010[14] and received various awards along with media recognition.
Richard Oestreicher from University of Pittsburgh stated that "the author poses big questions, imaginatively links material from what are usually separate topical specialties, and writes with considerable literary flair.
[21] Meg Jacobs stated that "Cowie's book has triggered a timely debate and will be essential reading for anyone interested in the American past and present".
[22] Another review stated the book as "slim, sweeping, and intentionally provocative volume", in which Cowie has asked the readers to "rethink one of the most deeply studied eras in American history: the New Deal".
[23] Cowie examines political interaction of white and black citizens in Barbour County, Alabama, home of politician George Wallace.