A tongue-in-cheek travel guide to the United States as Stetson Kennedy saw it in the 1950s when segregation was still firmly in place and when there were many barriers in housing; education; and job opportunities for blacks; Native Americans; Jews; Puerto Ricans; Mexican Americans; and almost anyone who was not a white Protestant. . . . The Guide was [first] published in Paris in 1956 by Jean-Paul Sartre because the author could find no American publisher who was willing to issue the book. In this new edition; Kennedy has added an afterword that provides his impressions of contemporary ‘desegregated racism’.—Florida Historical QuarterlyJim Crow Guide documents the system of legally imposed American apartheid that prevailed during what Stetson Kennedy calls "the long century from Emancipation to the Overcoming." The mock guidebook covers every area of activity where the tentacles of Jim Crow reached. From the texts of state statutes; municipal ordinances; federal regulations; and judicial rulings; Kennedy exhumes the legalistic skeleton of Jim Crow in a work of permanent value for scholars and of exceptional appeal for general readers.
#961037 in Books 2009-01-13 2009-01-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .60 x 5.30l; .46 #File Name: 0812976770288 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Concise is the wordBy MJSAttempting a one-volume history of anything that has existed for over 2000 years is no small task. Now try to keep it "brief". Once again Modern Library deserves praise just for tackling the task. Martin Marty's emphasis is on the spiritual side of the Christianity; with the institutions taking a back seat. His scope is larger; geographically; than Paul Johnson's admirable yet European-centric The History of Christianity. You won't find a tremendous amount of information about individual churches or creeds but you will meet an interesting array of characters like Origen who decides to go the extra mile in curbing his instincts by castrating himself. (Whether or not this was entirely a DIY endeavor or not isn't clear from the text.)With material like this the early part of the book glides along. Marty has an eye for a good vignette and a good quote; like the nun who responds to a monk who averts his gaze when he sees a group a nuns. "If you had been a perfect monk; you would not have looked so closely as to perceive that we are women." I do believe that's the early Church equivalent of "in your face; holy boy." Then things bog down a bit and Marty seems to lose a bit of his spark; churning out lines like "It was unholy Christian holy war". Now really. For one thing; what "holy war" isn't unholy? This is just the start of a catalog of atrocities committed by men and women allegedly to act in the name of a religion. This is hardly a newsflash. On the other hand; this occasional heavy-handedness seems to me to be the result of trying to tell all sides of the story in a limited space rather than axe grinding.All in all this is a solid effort; more history of Christianity as a faith rather than a historical force. It didn't leave me wanting to read more nor did I feel like I have the topic well-covered now but I did learn a few things and what more can one ask of a "concise" history?I'd give this three and a half stars if allowed it.Kindle note: maps but no pictures.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It's pretty difficult condense thousands of years in a book but ...By Luis AzañeroIt's pretty difficult condense thousands of years in a book but I think Marty does an excellent job here.The approach by episodes makes this book singular and helps us to take a look into regions where Christianity once flourished. I think that missiological tweak makes this book worth read it1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Disappointing TextbookBy A Rabbit's TaleI am well aware that Martin Marty is a highly celebrated scholar. This review is not of Marty but of this book. This particular volume represents a highly popularized style of writing history that hardly qualifies as a true history. It is vague; opinionated to the point of flippancy at times; and skips over chunks of significant events and persons. Marty's exposition of the Christian history by continent is in itself novel and refreshing; but this should not have led him to think he could dispense with chronology. Marty often mixes centuries within a paragraph which I found most confusing. He paints with a broad and impressionistic stroke that really does informs the reader of little but Marty's own opinions. For the most part; Marty has an engaging style; although he needed better editing as some of his sentences are quite awkward. This reads like a Penguin paperback and might be an interesting read; but history it is not!
