Choice 评论

Lieberman (Southern Illinois Univ.) and Lange (Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) have edited a stimulating collection of articles dealing with the Civil Rights Movement. Ellen Schrecker's foreword places the articles in historical context. Coeditor Lieberman outlines and supports the volume's two main themes: anti-communism fervor in the 1940s and early 1950s damaged the struggle for civil rights; the movement's roots can be found in activities of the 1930s, especially in left-leaning and communist organizations. While primarily focused on black civil rights, Zaragosa Vargas provides an excellent analysis of the Mexican American struggle between 1946 and 1963. In its entirety, the book succeeds in supporting its themes. Two essays, one by Jacqueline Castledine and the other by Erik S. McDuffie, focus on black women. Castledine treats women in the American Labor Party and the fight for peace and civil rights. McDuffie focuses on Esther Cooper Jackson and her struggle as a member of the American Communist Party. Articles by Rachel Peterson, who examines the newspaper Correspondence, and Clarence Lang, who treats the National Negro Labor Council, lend support to the arguments presented by other authors. As a whole, the book is convincing because of the detailed examples put forth to support the major hypotheses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. A. Yarnell Montana State University