“An extraordinary history…Deeply researched; elegantly written…a towering achievement that will not be soon forgotten.†—Brent Staples; New York Times Book ReviewNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • AmazonGiving voice to the voiceless; the Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow; catalyzed the Great Migration; and focused the electoral power of black America. Robert S. Abbott founded The Defender in 1905; smuggled hundreds of thousands of copies into the most isolated communities in the segregated South; and was dubbed a "Modern Moses;" becoming one of the first black millionaires in the process. His successor wielded the newspaper’s clout to elect mayors and presidents; including Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy; who would have lost in 1960 if not for TheDefender’s support. Along the way; its pages were filled with columns by legends like Ida B. Wells; Langston Hughes; and Martin Luther King. Drawing on dozens of interviews and extensive archival research; Ethan Michaeli constructs a revelatory narrative of race in America and brings to life the reporters who braved lynch mobs and policemen’s clubs to do their jobs; from the age of Teddy Roosevelt to the age of Barack Obama.
#5853580 in Books 2003-03-21 2003-03-21Original language:English 8.25 x .33 x 5.25l; #File Name: 0543675866144 pages
Review
