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The presidential election of 1968 forever changed American
politics. In this character-driven narrative history, Aram
Goudsouzian portrays the key transformations that played out over
that dramatic year. It was the last "Old Politics" campaign, where
political machines and party bosses determined the major nominees,
even as the "New Politics" of grassroots participation powered
primary elections. It was an election that showed how candidates
from both the Left and Right could seize on "hot-button" issues to
alter the larger political dynamic. It showcased the power of
television to "package" politicians and political ideas, and it
played out against an extraordinary dramatic global tableau of
chaos and conflict. More than anything else, it was a moment
decided by a contest of political personalities, as a group of men
battled for the presidency, with momentous implications for the
nation's future. Well-paced, accessible, and engagingly written,
Goudsouzian's book chronicles anew the characters and events of the
1968 campaign as an essential moment in American history, one with
clear resonance in our contemporary political moment.
“My idol growing up, all I wanted to be, was Stan Isaacs.”
--Tony Kornheiser “Stan Isaacs is directly responsible for my
television career--and much of how I approached what I’ve said
and whom I’ve said it about.” --Keith Olbermann Iconoclastic
and irreverent, Stan Isaacs was part of a generation that bucked
the sports establishment with a skepticism for authority, an
appreciation for absurdity, and a gift for placing athletes and
events within the context of their tumultuous times. Isaacs draws
on his trademark wink-and-a-grin approach to tell the story of the
long-ago Brooklyn that formed him and a career that placed him
amidst the major sporting events of his era. Mixing reminiscences
with column excerpts, Isaacs recalls antics like stealing a
Brooklyn Dodgers pennant after the team moved to Los Angeles and
his many writings on Paul Revere’s horse. But Isaacs also reveals
the crusading and humanist instincts that gave Black athletes like
Muhammad Ali a rare forum to express their views and celebrated the
oddball, unsung Mets over the straitlaced Yankees. Insightful and
hilarious, Out of Left Field is the long-awaited memoir of the
influential sportswriter and his adventures in the era of Jim
Brown, Arthur Ashe, and the Amazin’ Mets.
In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram
Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend,
from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime
achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success
story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life
and career illuminate America's racial history. In such films as
Lilies of the Field, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who's
Coming to Dinner, Poitier's middle-class, mannered, virtuous screen
persona contradicted prevailing film stereotypes of blacks as
half-wits, comic servants, or oversexed threats. His screen image
and public support of nonviolent integration assuaged the fears of
a broad political center, and by 1968, Poitier was voted America's
favorite movie star. Through careful readings of every Poitier
film, Goudsouzian shows that Poitier's characters often made
sacrifices for the good of whites and rarely displayed sexuality.
As the only black leading man during the civil rights era, Poitier
chose roles and public positions that negotiated the struggle for
dignity. By 1970, times had changed and Poitier was the target of a
backlash from film critics and black radicals, as the new heroes of
""blaxploitation"" movies reversed the Poitier model. In the 1970s,
Poitier shifted his considerable talents toward directing, starring
in, and producing popular movies that employed many African
Americans, both on and off screen. After a long hiatus, he returned
to starring roles in the late 1980s. More recently, the film
industry has reappraised his career, and Poitier has received
numerous honors recognizing his multi-faceted work for black
equality in Hollywood. As this biography affirms, Poitier remains
one of American popular culture's foremost symbols of the
possibilities for and limits of racial equality.
During the second half of the 19th-century, Memphis, Tennessee, had
the largest metropolitan population of African Americans in the
mid-South region and served as a political hub for civic
organizations and grassroots movements. On April 4, 1968, the city
found itself at the epicenter of the civil rights movement when Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
Nevertheless, despite the many significant events that took place
in the city and its citizens' many contributions to the black
freedom struggle, Memphis has been largely overlooked by historians
of the civil rights movement. In An Unseen Light, eminent and
rising scholars offer a multidisciplinary examination of Memphis's
role in African American history during the twentieth century.
Together, they investigate episodes such as the 1940 'Reign of
Terror' when black Memphians experienced a prolonged campaign of
harassment, mass arrests, and violence at the hands of police. They
also examine topics including the relationship between the labor
and civil rights movements, the fight for economic advancement in
black communities, and the impact of music on the city's culture.
Covering subjects as diverse as politics, sports, music, activism,
and religion, An Unseen Light illuminates Memphis's place in the
long history of the struggle for African American freedom.
In 1962, James Meredith famously desegregated the University of
Mississippi (a.k.a. Ole Miss). As the first Black American admitted
to the school, he demonstrated great courage amidst the subsequent
political clashes and tragic violence. After President Kennedy
summoned federal troops to help maintain order, the South-and
America at large-would never be the same. Man on a Mission depicts
Meredith's relentless pursuit of justice, beginning with his
childhood in rural Mississippi and culminating with the
confrontation at Ole Miss. A blend of historical research and
creative inspiration, this graphic history tells Meredith's
dramatic story in his own singular voice. From the dawn of the
modern civil rights movement, Meredith has offered a unique
perspective on democracy, racial equality, and the meaning of
America. Man on a Mission presents his captivating saga for a new
generation in the era of Black Lives Matter.
The presidential election of 1968 forever changed American
politics. In this character-driven narrative history, Aram
Goudsouzian portrays the key transformations that played out over
that dramatic year. It was the last ""old politics"" campaign,
where political machines and party bosses determined the major
nominees, even as the ""new politics"" of grassroots participation
powered primary elections. It was an election that showed how
candidates from both the Left and Right could seize on
""hot-button"" issues to alter the larger political dynamic. It
showcased the power of television to ""package"" politicians and
political ideas, and it played out against an extraordinary
dramatic global tableau of chaos and conflict. More than anything
else, it was a moment decided by a contest of political
personalities, as a group of men battled for the presidency, with
momentous implications for the nation's future. Well-paced,
accessible, and engagingly written, Goudsouzian's book chronicles
anew the characters and events of the 1968 campaign as an essential
moment in American history, one with clear resonance in our
contemporary political moment.
On October 1, 1962, James Meredith was the first African American
student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Preceded by
violent rioting resulting in two deaths and a lengthy court battle
that made it all the way to the Supreme Court, his admission was a
pivotal moment in civil rights history. Citing his ""divine
responsibility"" to end white supremacy, Meredith risked everything
to attend Ole Miss. In doing so, he paved the way for integration
across the country. Originally published in 1966, more than ten
years after the Supreme Court ended segregation in public schools
in Brown v. Board of Education, Meredith describes his intense
struggle to attend an all-white university and break down long-held
race barriers in one of the most conservative states in the
country. This first-person account offers a glimpse into a crucial
point in civil rights history and the determination and courage of
a man facing unfathomable odds. Reprinted for the first time, this
volume features a new introduction by historian Aram Goudsouzian.
Bill Russell was not the first African American to play
professional basketball, but he was its first black superstar. From
the moment he stepped onto the court of the Boston Garden in 1956,
Russell began to transform the sport in a fundamental way, making
him, more than any of his contemporaries, the Jackie Robinson of
basketball. In "King of the Court", Aram Goudsouzian provides a
vivid and engrossing chronicle of the life and career of this
brilliant champion and courageous racial pioneer. Russell's
leaping, wide-ranging defense altered the game's texture. His teams
provided models of racial integration in the 1950s and 1960s, and,
in 1966, he became the first black coach of any major professional
team sport. Yet, like no athlete before him, Russell challenged the
politics of sport. Instead of displaying appreciative deference, he
decried racist institutions, embraced his African roots, and
challenged the nonviolent tenets of the civil rights movement. This
beautifully written book - sophisticated, nuanced, and insightful -
reveals a singular individual who expressed the dreams of Martin
Luther King Jr. while echoing the warnings of Malcolm X.
On October 1, 1962, James Meredith was the first African American
student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Preceded by
violent rioting resulting in two deaths and a lengthy court battle
that made it all the way to the Supreme Court, his admission was a
pivotal moment in civil rights history. Citing his ""divine
responsibility"" to end white supremacy, Meredith risked everything
to attend Ole Miss. In doing so, he paved the way for integration
across the country. Originally published in 1966, more than ten
years after the Supreme Court ended segregation in public schools
in Brown v. Board of Education, Meredith describes his intense
struggle to attend an all-white university and break down long-held
race barriers in one of the most conservative states in the
country. This first-person account offers a glimpse into a crucial
point in civil rights history and the determination and courage of
a man facing unfathomable odds. Reprinted for the first time, this
volume features a new introduction by historian Aram Goudsouzian.
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