PositiveLibrary Journal... fascinating and highly readable ... The chapters on Hurston and Wright are especially interesting; they detail the writers’ struggling with segregated spaces within the project, and their efforts to publish accurate depictions of the lives of Black Americans in the 1930s ... This fascinating and enjoyable volume is recommended for all readers interested in American literary history.
Blake Bailey
PositiveLibrary JournalFor an author like Roth, who put so much of his own life into his books, this biography is an essential companion to his novels, enabling readers to discover the true-life inspirations for many of his memorable characters and scenes. Recommended for readers who have read and enjoyed Philip Roth’s fiction.
Edward McClelland
PositiveLibrary JournalMcClelland provides vivid depictions of the experiences of workers contrasted with a detailed look at the negotiations between the union, the company executives, and state and federal government officials. While McClelland briefly discusses labor struggles in other industries, the focus here is kept tightly on the auto industry and the Flint strike. Some of the most effective parts of the book are the portraits of key figures in the strike, including Michigan Governor Frank Murphy; Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins; and Genora Johnson, who organized the wives of striking workers ... McClelland’s engaging, readable account is a solid introduction to the rise of the labor movement in the 1930s. Recommend for readers interested in labor history and especially for those looking for a reminder of the power that workers can have when they negotiate collectively.
Dan Gretton
RaveLibrary JournalGretton, an activist and educator, takes a deeply personal approach to this book. This is in clear contrast to the ways that the mass murderers he writes about use abstract language to dehumanize their victims. Gretton\'s autobiographical asides are often lengthy digressions, but they have the effect of making him an empathetic guide through difficult histories ... Readers looking for a traditional history will not find it here. This account is recommended for readers who have the patience to accompany the author on his journey of discovery to understand the motivations behind people who commit mass atrocities.
Jared Yates Sexton
PositiveLibrary JournalReaders looking for consolation and a plan for a more just and equitable future will not find it here. Recommended primarily for those concerned by the tone and direction of American politics and seeking a better understanding of the question on which the book is framed: \'How did we get here?\'
Brittany K. Barnett
RaveLibrary JournalBarnett weaves together memoir, biography, and legal drama in a powerful and moving story ... Recommended for readers who enjoyed Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, this is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the devastating effects of mandatory drug sentencing and looking for inspiration to seek change.
Chip Jones
PositiveLibrary JournalWith elements of legal and social history, this work is recommended for readers interested in the history of race and racism, and how it relates to medical practice in the United States.
Jerry Mitchell
PositiveLibrary JournalMitchell is skilled at interviewing suspects and their accomplices, and the book includes chilling profiles of unrepentant Ku Klux Klan members. In looking back at each case, Michell demonstrates the ways that politicians and judges influenced the outcome of the original trials, and reminds us that the pursuit of justice has always been a political act ... While there are many other books that discuss these cases, Mitchell’s active participation in the investigations provides a unique perspective. Recommended for readers interested in civil rights-era American history and legal nonfiction.
Christopher Knowlton
PositiveLibrary JournalColorful stories of outrageous ambition and excess are tempered by brief discussions of the environmental consequences of development, especially in the Everglades...The economic argument suggested by the subtitle is saved for the end, in which Knowlton draws a convincing comparison between 1920s Florida and the early 2000s surge in real estate speculation ... Recommended for readers interested in the history of Florida and those who enjoy stories of the rich and glamorous in the 1920s.
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