PositiveLibrary JournalThe short essays are packed with statistics, acronyms, and some policy jargon; while they can at times make for dry reading, they offer fresh ideas and perspectives on many of the most pressing problems of this era. Standout essays include Brandeis Marshall on algorithmic assault, Cliff Albright on voting rights, Fenaba R. Addo on student loans and the Black wealth gap, and Kyle K. Moore on stratification economics. A powerful foreword by Tressie McMillan Cottom offers a starting point for critical self-reflection ... An important volume for anyone involved in dismantling systemic racism through advocacy and public policy.
Linda Hirshman
PositiveLibrary JournalHirshman brings much-needed attention to the little-known triangulation between Garrison, Douglass, and Chapman, opening a new realm of inquiry for readers of the history of slavery and abolition.
Kate Clifford Larson
RaveLibrary Journal... gripping ... Larson uncovers new sources to tell an in-depth, revelatory narrative about Hamer ... An inspiring read for activists fighting for voting rights and against racism.
Clint Smith
PositiveLibrary JournalSome of the sites and histories that Smith revisits are well-known (for instance, Monticello and Sally Hemings’s story); others, such as Louisiana’s Angola prison/plantation, or the benefit Wall Street drew from slavery long after its abolition in New York, are refreshing new takes ... An excellent travelogue and introduction to slavery’s impact on both the United States and its people. It will hold the interest of readers who are only starting to grapple with the topic.
Annette Gordon-Reed
RaveLibrary JournalThis beautifully written memoir makes the case that the history of Black Texas is central to the history of the United States. Gordon-Reed’s writing will move all readers of U.S. history.
Rachel Holmes
MixedLibrary JournalHolmes includes some new finds from recently opened archives and delves deeper into Pankhurst’s personal life than other biographers. But this lengthy book drifts back and forth chronologically, repeats many of the same stories, includes an exhaustive amount of political and historical background, and veers into long biographies of the hundreds of activists and politicians with whom Pankhurst interacted ... Pankhurst\'s life is ripe for discovery by new readers and a younger generation. However, this biography is often so dense that her story often gets lost within its pages.
Marjoleine Kars
PositiveLibrary JournalA must-read for anyone interested in slave revolts and the history of Atlantic slavery.
Edward Ball
MixedLibrary Journal... a book that is almost entirely historical context and speculation on the many reasons an ordinary French Creole white man would join the Klan and other racist organizations and participate in violence against newly empowered blacks after the Civil War (although to what extent he did, Ball can\'t really say) ... Ball is thoughtful about incorporating new theories of whiteness and the implications for descendants of Klan members, but the lack of solid evidence about Lacorgne may leave readers wanting more.
Adam Hochschild
RaveLibrary JournalLucidly written and painstakingly researched, this is a joy to read, cementing Pastor in her rightful place with other progressive figures of the time.
Alan Taylor
MixedLibrary JournalUnfortunately, this sprawling work veers off course into tangents about Jefferson’s life that have little to do with education and would have benefited from analysis about the effects of this legacy on the present condition of education in the state ... Recommended only for readers of Jeffersonian history and those curious about the history of the University of Virginia and College of William & Mary.
Stephen Drury Smith
PanLibrary JournalOffer[s] a snapshot of the state of the movement in 1964 and show the disparate views of the leadership at the time ... they also include now-cringeworthy statements by both Warren and his interviewees on women, race, and class.Readers would be better served with the recent reissued Who Speaks for the Negro? and the availability of the full interviews online.
Lisa McCubbin
RaveLibrary JournalHer openness about her breast cancer diagnosis led to heightened awareness of the disease and more mammograms ... Her lasting legacy, founding the Betty Ford Center, helped millions of people recover from addiction ... McCubbin\'s engaging style brings Betty Ford vividly to life, presenting a must-read for fans of presidential biography and history.
Robert W. Fieseler
RaveLibrary Journal\"Fiesler describes the blaze and chaos in the bar in excruciating and terrifying detail ... A vivid, fast-paced, and essential LGBTQ and social history.\
