Reviews (3)

This deserves more than six stars!
Wow! I've always been interested in the Civil Rights movement, so naturally I was drawn to this book when I spied it in the bookstore. I especially liked that I got a discount on it, which is always a nice thing. I paged through it in the bookstore, was impressed, bought it, took it home, and was just blown away. It's a very informative and outstanding book on the subject and if you are interested in this topic, then you should definitely check this book out. It also contains scores of photographs, so it is somewhat like an encyclopedia. It definitely helped me gain a better understanding of this dark part of our history.
Great Book!!
I highly recommend this book to teenagers because it tells you about a lot of things that you don't learn in the classroom.

exceptional view of history
The Civil Rights Chronicle belongs in every library, every school, and every home.This honest look at the enslavement of people is not to be missed.The struggle for independence and freedom is chronicled here for all, black, white, or 'other', to read and understand.There are so many things in this world that should never be allowed to happen again!Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African Americans    3. Civil rights    4. Civil rights movements    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History - U.S.    10. Pictorial works    11. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    12. Political Science    13. Politics/International Relations    14. United States    15. United States - 20th Century    16. Sale Books   

Reviews (3)

Causes and Effects
Upon first consideration one would think that the reciprocal influences of the Cold War and American civil rights activity would be self-evident.Perhaps, but Dudziak's book is full of surprises and details how galling the "American Dilemma" was to U.S. foreign policy-makers and various presidents and how each responded to the concerns of African, Asian, American, and European countries regarding the United States civil rights struggle over several decades.Why was civil rights legislation important to American foreign policy?How was Eisenhower's response to school desegregation in Little Rock influenced by foreign perceptions?How did the international attention to civil rights activity affect John Kennedy's domestic policies? Why was the State Department so concerned about Asian and African criticisms of the United States' record on civil rights?How was the Civil Rights Act of 1965 viewed by the international community?How did the views of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X affect United States foreign policy efforts?Was the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to an American activist also an international signal that worried a president and the State Department?These questions and many more are answered by Dudziak. Eye Opening and Important -- A Great Read!
Mary Dudziak revisits a familiar chapter in American history--the civil rights movement--but provides readers with a completely new perspective on it. Excellent!
This book is fabulous.Clear and articulate, it reads like a story and explores an aspect of the civil rights movement most authors and historians have neglected.It is meticulously researched and filled with information from sources ranging from presidential telephone conversations to news wires to official publications.The civil rights movement cannot be fully understood without reflecting upon the information contained in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. United States - 20th Century    5. American History    6. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    7. Civil rights & citizenship    8. History / United States / 20th Century    9. International relations    10. Political Science and International Relations    11. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    12. Sociology    13. USA   

Reviews (15)

Elegant as silk, sharp as a scalpel
Kenji Yoshino's book manages a difficult feat: it is simultaneously elegant and hard-hitting. Yoshino, a professor at Yale Law School, blends memoir and legal history as he charts the changing attitude of American society toward homosexuality. Formerly, gays were treated as if they had a deadly disease--if they were not willing to change, forcible means such as lobotomy and electroshock therapy were at hand to "convert" them. Next, they were left alone as long as they were willing to hide their sexuality. The riots of Stonewall and the AIDS plague were watersheds in changing this attitude, as gay men and women demanded to be recognized as such AND treated as human beings.
Insightful and much needed
Yoshino is one of the brightest stars in civil rights discussion. I found his book insightful and even necessary for any real progress to be made for civil rights for all people.

What a career!
I found the personal coming out to his parents story very moving; it brought tears to my eyes.I also loved the epilogue and the story of the blue star.But, in between, what a lot of navel-gazing and counting of angels on the head of a pin.I'm a lawyer, but I admit I got lost in all the differentiations and attempts to focus the covering/reverse-covering analysis on each type of discrimination.Then, halfway-through, I learn he was only in law school in the 1990s.I've been practicing longer than that and he's the Harvard professor!(I realize that's a comment on me.)This guy has really carved out a self-referential niche for himself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asians In The U.S.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    7. Gay lawyers    8. Gay rights    9. General    10. Japanese American lawyers    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Political    14. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    15. Practice Of Law    16. United States    17. Current Events / General   

Reviews (1)

Public TruthCan Overcome Political-Corporate Corruption
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Subjects:  1. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    2. Politics / Current Events    3. Politics/International Relations   

Reviews (2)

Should have stopped in the 60's.
This is an interesting book well worth reading. It wasn't quite as eye-opening for me, being a Southern of a certain age. The only complaint I might have is that the book is an overview and as such it starts to bog down toward the end. As it covers the more familiar ground of the late 60's and early 70's, it's a bit like studying a synopsis for a course. In the earlier phase of the book, 1945 - 1955, it is original and engaging. At one point the author cites source material briefly, noting that no one has ever made a full study of the papers he's using. I feel a richer book would have been achieved if he had stopped his timeline a decade sooner and gone into more depth in the early years, when the South was just waking up to the changes. by the late 60's it's a juggernaut of facts instead of a slow awakening of justifications and assumptions. The author maintains a fair point of view without being condescending or apologetic. If you're not Southern, it may help you understand some of the ripple effect experienced in conversations about race today. After all, most of the people in this book are still living, working, and assuming.

Insightful, Exciting, Intelligent
Jason Sokol makes a compassionate, nuanced, brave examination of so many subtle and not-so-subtle changes that took place within white southern hearts, minds and communities.An eye-opener and a page-turner for me.A valuable addition to the field of history.An important book for all Americans to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Attitudes    3. Civil rights movements    4. History    5. History - U.S.    6. History: American    7. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    8. Social conditions    9. Southern States    10. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Blacks    11. United States - 20th Century    12. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    13. United States - State & Local - South    14. Whites    15. History / United States / General   

Reviews (1)

Beyond tolerance to compassion: that is the Church's greatest strength
We talk tolerance, as well we should, but in the church we believe in compassion - in suffering alongside the hurting - something much bigger than tolerance. We talk acceptance of those who are different, but in the Bible's record of the early church, we see not acceptance, but people becoming family with one another. Becoming a beloved community is far more difficult - and therefore more miraculous - than mere equality under law.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    7. Religion    8. Religion, Politics & State    9. Social Justice (Ethics)    10. Social Theology    11. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    12. Christian spirituality    13. Multicultural studies    14. USA   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African Americans    3. Civil rights    4. Civil rights movements    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    7. Historiography    8. History    9. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Sources    13. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Blacks    14. United States    15. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    16. History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)    17. History / United States / 19th Century    18. Human rights    19. Multicultural studies    20. Pressure groups & lobbying    21. Social history    22. Social issues    23. USA    24. c 1945 to c 1960    25. c 1960 to c 1970   

Reviews (7)

Guantanamo, the inaccessible dungeon that brought infamy to the USA
As if guided by providence, this book has been published in the nick of time. In the glare of the Supreme Court's recent verdict against President Bush's authorizing and condoning the torture of Guantanamo prisoners, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, testifying today before the Senate, urged the senators to support the military tribunals established by the Bush White House to try the prisoners in secret. I truly wish this book were fiction, so that I might consider it merely a thought-provoking, witty and beguiling book, as humorous as Joseph Heller's "Catch 22".
A MUST READ FOR EVERY REAL AMERICAN
see through the baloney and propaganda and consider the serious crimes our current regime commits against justice, truth, and humanity.
Everyone Who Cares About The Rule of Law Should Read This Book
"Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power" is a powerful and extraordinary book about the Bush Administration's attempt to create a law-free zone at Guantanamo, Cuba, where suspected terrorists could be held outside of judicial scrutiny and tortured for information on al-Qaeda.Anyone who cares about the U.S. Constitution, the law of war, our relationship with the Islamic world, or the successful prosecution of the war on terror should read this book.The revelations of Bush Administration incompetence and criminality are shocking.
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Subjects:  1. Civil rights    2. Due process of law    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Law    5. Law Of War    6. Military    7. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    8. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    9. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Prisoners    12. Prisoners Of War    13. United States    14. War and emergency powers    15. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Terrorism   

Reviews (11)

Homo Sacer is a must read.
Agamben's best known work lives up to the hype. One of the most powerful aspects of this book is its shocking predictions about the world to come. Published many years before the initiation of the war on terror, Agamben signals the beginning the of a style of governance built on permanent exception. He insists that the extermination of the Jewx by the Nazis was not simply a horrible enigma that should never return, rather biopolitical atrocities have continued to intensify. This book is a must read for any person interested in understanding how the deep seated structure of sovereignty and its spatio-temporal course through power relations have brought us to the seeming limit poit of exception become rule. A handbook for contemporary politics. This is a great book.

Political Ontology and Bio-Politics
Agamben begins his inquiry into sovereignty in the light of the problematic left to contemporary political ontology via Hobbes, Schmitt, and up to Heidegger (Dasein being that being who's very being is always at stake for that being, and ontological difference), post Heideggerian political thought (Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe, and Derrida) and finally Foucault's bio-politics.While Agamben's criticisms of these thinkers is brief (and somewhat reductive) it does serve the importance of situating his own conception of bio-politics, sovereignty and life as a radicalized "state of exception".
Interesting but Problematic
Agamben's sets up his work in the left-open space of Foucault's work, the void in which "subjectivization" (the internalization of the order into the individual psyche)and police/political strategies might intersect. It is this void that Agamben desires to write, a (non)place in which "life" is incorporated into the political order. Agamben goes about this by beginning with a reading of Greek and Roman philosophical and poetic texts and weaving a continuity from these early works through the works of Thomas Hobbes, Carl Schmitt, and Jacques Derrida. The continuity he describes is that of sovereignty founded upon the "suspension" of "bare life." "Life," here, is "natural life," natural being that element (like the referent in language) that is the always already included absence (or as Agamben calls it the "exclusive inclusion"). This relation of suspension also creates the possibility of the "state of exception," a space in which the force of law is exerted outside of law.
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Subjects:  1. Human rights    2. Philosophy    3. Political    4. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Religion and politics    8. Right to life    9. Sovereignty    10. State, The    11. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (30)

Branch's Trilogy
Volume one of Branch's biography of King, though interesting most of the time, suffers from Branch's sometime tortuous syntax and lack of focus, it seems._Parting the Waters_, overall, was excellent, but I only wish that it flowed always when it only flowed some of the time.
Impossible not to be a letdown
Any follow up to Parting the Waters is destined to be anticlimatic. Concedingly, there are a few drawbacks to Pillar of Fire. Nonetheless, this is another classic work from Branch.
Keeps the Fire Aflame...Pillared Story of the Shaping of America
Taylor Branch has certainly done better work with his first Pulitzer Prize winning Civil Rights movement work, "Parting the Waters,' but that doesn't mean you should be brushing aside this good history writing in "Pillar of Fire."There's a quote out there...that I can't seem to find right now...that says something to the effect of, "If we don't learn from history, we will find ourselves repeating mistakes already made."In the realm of social justice and American Civil Rights history there is no finer capturing of our society's mistakes and the heroic struggle undertaken by civil rights movement leaders than the history written by Taylor Branch on the subject.The entire trilogy should be required reading for all liberal arts majors (all other under grad majors for that matter) as an education in the important history that shaped the America we know today.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African Americans    3. Civil rights    4. Civil rights movements    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History - U.S.    9. History: American    10. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    11. Political Science    12. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Blacks    13. U.S. History - 1960s    14. United States    15. United States - 20th Century/60s    16. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. Human rights    18. King, Martin Luther    19. Political Science / Civil Rights    20. Racism & racial discrimination    21. USA    22. c 1960 to c 1970   

Reviews (1)

An interesting perspective on being American
The content of this book is derived primarily from first-person narratives and other primary source historical documents.These writings offer the reader a great deal to consider when thinking about the role of Americans in history.The narratives are moving and thought provoking, and really force the reader to reconsider what it really means to be an American. Questions abound about why we aren't told these stories in school, particularly regarding the role this country has played in the lives of other nations.A real "based on a true story" book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Discrimination & Racism    2. Emigration & Immigration    3. Social Science    4. Sociology    5. United States - General    6. American history    7. Civil rights & citizenship    8. Ethnic studies    9. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    10. Immigration & emigration    11. USA   

Reviews (21)

A Social Psychology Explaining Totalitarian Movements
Erich Fromm originally wrote this work in 1941 which explores the psychological reason for the success of Nazism in Germany.However that is not the only subject of the book.It also explores the pathologies in industrial democracies as well.
more relevant than ever, unfortunately
I started reading Fromm after the terrible election of 2004 for two reasons: 1)I needed a diagnosis of political authoritarianism, particularly its psychological aspects; and 2) I wanted to hear something from someone who still had some hope for humanity and the essential goodness of people, at least in potential. Fromm usually isn't included in the syllabi of trendy crit theory/Frankfurt School grad seminars, and it's a shame. For Fromm, modern society is not individualistic so much as it is individualized--like it or not, the modern individual is stranded alone in the world without the anchors of tradition, security, community, etc. Laissez-faire economics and neo-liberal ideologies celebrate this condition, but the fact is that humans are social beings and this type of "freedom" is just as terrifying as it is liberating. Powerless and alone, the individual too often tries to escape from freedom by masochistically submerging his/her self to some greater authority and/or sadistically taking power over others (which of course is also a form of subservience, because the master needs his slave). If this sounds all too familiar in America in 2006 then pick Escape From Freedom along with Wilhelm Reich's Mass Psychology of Fascism and Theodor Adorno's The Authoritarian Personality. But despite being surrounded by Nazism in Germany and then Cold War conformity in the US, Fromm remained optimistic that individuals could discover true freedom by realizing their interdependence with others and nature in a way that perserved rather than annihilated their personal dignity. He discovered Zen in his later years and attempted to synthesize it with his Freudian-Marxism. If you need a dose of that kind of optimism, see Fromm's books Man For Himself, Marx's Conception of Man, To Have or To Be?, and The Art of Being.

In responsibility is freedom
The escape from freedom is as Dostoevsky wrote inin 'The Grand Inquisitor' section of 'Brothers Karamazov' is made out of a desire to escape the burden of responsibility and decision. The preference for ' bread and circuses' over a life of hard decisions is one way of succumbing to totalitarianism.
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Subjects:  1. Democracy    2. Liberty    3. Movements - Behaviorism    4. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    5. Psychology    6. Social Psychology    7. Totalitarianism    8. Modern fiction   

Reviews (3)

A bit dry, but worth the effort!
I am interested in Mill's contributions to utilitarian philosophy. Utilitarianism holds that morals should be based upon those acts which promote the greatest good to the greatest number of people. Human actions which foster happiness are held to be right, while those which yield the converse are wrong. Mill defines happiness as intended pleasure with the absence of pain. Also, he maintains that intended pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things desirable as personal ends. Pleasure which employs one's higher faculties tends to give more satisfaction than baser pleasures, or mere sensations. Few humans would exchange their limited, fleeting pleasures for the fullest ration of the pleasures of the "lower" animals. Since a noble character is made happier by its nobleness, utilitarianism can only attain its end towards the multiplication of happiness through a general elevation of the nobleness of the character of the larger population.
A must read for anyone interested in political ideology...
One of the main writers on liberty, J.S. Mill is often overlooked in introductory courses in Political Theory courses. I bought this books as a supplement in my class and it was a wonderful read that gave me an advantage. This book contains some of Mill's best work and the notes added by Schneewind give them an extra dimention and a few explanations that I am glad I had.

Liberty: The Basics
Not that Mill was ever obscure or inaccessible, but while Prof Schneewind's Introduction adds little value, the notes and annotations by Dale E Miller certainly renders this compendium transparent, even to folks like me who have been dumbed down by years of television debates as primary intellectual nourishment.He enlightens each of Mill's chapters with a short and easily assimilated introductory overview. Complementing this with text annotations, collected at the back of the book. The annotations appear to be very well selected, as they are never too numerous to make flipping to the back of the book tedious, yet they manage to illuminate every aspect or item I might have found even remotely confusing, ambiguous or otherwise incomprehensible in the modern idiom. Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    2. Liberty    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy Of The 19th Century    5. Political    6. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    7. Political Philosophy    8. Representative government and    9. Representative government and representation    10. Utilitarianism    11. Women's rights    12. Human rights    13. Political Science / General    14. Western philosophy, c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

Would have 5 stars if it were not outdated
This book is very good and very agreeable to read and learn the topics. Simple plain English and fun to read.
US Citizenship for Dummies
My wife ordered this book for herself after checking out several different books that her friends were using.This book is the most complete in terms of the information available under one cover -- it also proves easy to understand and utilize for someone who has learned English as their second language. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Citizenship    2. Civics & Citizenship    3. Emigration & Immigration    4. Emigration And Immigration    5. Examinations    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Individual And The State    8. Naturalization    9. Political Science    10. Study Guides    11. United States    12. Citizenship & nationality law    13. Civil rights & citizenship    14. Law for the lay person    15. Living & working abroad    16. Study Aids / Citizenship    17. USA   

Reviews (17)

Illogical, Barbaric thoughts translated into writing!
I was recently reading this book 'An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire' by Arundhathi
Extremely Hateful and Way too often Presents Completely Incorrect Information.
Since Roy mostly preaches to the converted, most likely most people who read this review will hit the 'not helpful' button. But we're all entitled to our opinions, particularly in a democracy and the opinion of this review is not in the vein of being a fan of Roy.
Imperial mix democracy
Arundhati Roy's book "An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire" is a collection of essays and speeches compiled into a book. While some people may be disappointed in the format and the repetition of some information, that does not detract from her brilliance as one of the most prolific writers of our time. Roy speaks from the heart with justice in mind, and her incisive and witty commentary is devoid of any religious, political, or racial bias. She is one of those rare voices of reason in a progressively insane world, warning us of the danger and consequences from large corporations in the name of "imperial mix democracy". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-1989    2. 2001-    3. Essays    4. Foreign relations    5. General    6. Imperialism    7. Iraq War, 2003    8. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    9. Political Science    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics and government    12. Politics/International Relations    13. United States    14. World politics    15. Political Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    2. Government relations    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Indians of North America    6. Native American    7. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    8. Political Science    9. Politics and government    10. Self-determination, National    11. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of