Recorded by jazz legend Billie Holiday in 1939; "Strange Fruit" is considered to be the first significant song of the civil rights movement and the first direct musical assault upon racial lynchings in the South. Originally sung in New York's Cafe Society; these revolutionary lyrics take on a life of their own in this revealing account of the song and the struggle it personified. Strange Fruit not only chronicles the civil rights movement from the '30s on; it examines the lives of the beleaguered Billie Holiday and Abel Meeropol; the white Jewish schoolteacher and communist sympathizer who wrote the song that would have an impact on generations of fans; black and white; unknown and famous; including performers Lena Horne; Eartha Kitt; and Sting.
#333286 in Books Harper Perennial Modern Classics 2014-02-04 2014-02-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .82 x 5.31l; .92 #File Name: 0060954663512 pagesGreat product!
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What a Truly Fascinating Dude (and an immigrant to our young nation!)By Tilly's reviewsAs an American History major; I certainly knew the basics about Hamilton; his involvement in the Revolutionary War; his support for the new Constitution and the Federalist papers; and his huge role in our National banking system. But I did not know all the fascinating aspects of his personal life. And what a really interesting life he had! For some modern people today who do not think that immigrants contribute enough to the American way of life and our Democratic system; I would point to Alexander Hamilton as an early example of an immigrant who helped forge our young country in a very positive way. He certainly rates as a fine example to prove the anti immigrant folks wrong! What a huge difference this man made in the formative years of our young nation. This book is well written. I highly recommend it!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very good bookBy james coyneHave read quite a bit about Washington; Jefferson; Adams; Madison; Revere; Paine and other Founding Fathers; but had never read about Hamilton. Having read this very good book; was able to fill in some large gaps in my knowledge of how our country was created. And got to learn so much about someone who rose from very meager beginnings to become one of the most influential and amazing people in America's history. Easy to read; well structured; very informative without bogging the reader down; this is a very good book about a man that everyone should come to know and appreciate.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A good well researched book but not a great storyBy Paul M. StullHistorical biographies are always hard to tell as an exciting story; but this one bounced around a lot and didn't have a good central theme or two. A real shame because Hamilton's life lends itself to that approach. It was well researched and fairly complete but in the end left me want to read another one to get a more complete story of Hamilton's contribution to our history.
