Beacon Buzz: Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks
March 29, 2013
Nell Irvin Painter reviews The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis for the New York Times Book Review
Richly informative, calmly passionate and much needed, “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” completes the portrait of a working-class activist who looked poverty and discrimination squarely in the face and never stopped rebelling against them, in the segregated South and in the segregated North.
Author Jeanne Theoharis appeared this morning on Democracy Now! with Claudette Colvin, a civil-rights pioneer who was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat in Montgomery in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks. Jeanne discusses Claudette’s story in the context of her research into the local civil-rights movement at the time, and suggests Colvin’s case help set the stage for Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. It’s a really special 35-minute interview.
Watch Jeanne Theoharis on Democracy Now!
Rashid Khalidi discussed Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East on Up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
More recent coverage for Brokers of Deceit:
Op/Ed by Rashid Khalidi in the New York Times
Review in the American Conservative
Review in The National
Interview on Democracy Now!
Interview on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC
Review in Foreign Affairs
Harpers Six Questions with Scott Horton
Opportunity, Montana: Big Copper, Bad Water, and the Burial of an American Landscape by Brad Tyer made this week's PW Tip Sheet: Best Books for the Week of March 25
Interview with Brad Tyer with the Missoulian
MakeitMissoula.com review: "Several times while reading the book, I had to just stop, sit back and admire a chunk of imagery crafted by a man who can just flat-out write. "
Mountain West News review: "Montana needs a book like this. We need to remember the past. We need to be mindful of the present. We need to say thanks to all those who strife to do the right thing. We need more journalists like Brad Tyer to keep us humble."
Events:
Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT, 3/30/2013
Hearst Free Library, Anaconda, MT, signing 4/3/2013
Butte Library, 4/4/2013, at 6:30 PM
The Montana Book Company, Helena, MT, 4/5/2013
Elk River Books, Livingston, MT, 4/6/2013
Shakespeare & Co. Missoula, MT 4/7/2013 7pm
Brazos Bookstore, Houston, TX, 4/11/2013, 7pm
Watch the Book Trailer on YouTube
Michael Bronski (A Queer History of the United States) was on HuffPost Live talking about marriage equality, DOMA, and the Supreme Court. Bronski was also quoted in an article on Huffington Post in the Gay Voices section
Michael Bronski, the author of A Queer History of the United States and a Harvard professor, notes that sentimental arguments have become increasingly prevalent, and successful, in social movements over the last century. "Uncle Tom's Cabin was far more effective than quoting biblical texts or making a constitutional argument and abolitionist writings are filled with the tragedy of children being torn away from their mothers," Bronski said in an interview. "Suffragists mostly only used legal arguments but later, second wave feminism did better portraying a talented 12-year-old girl who wanted to play field hockey (or become a doctor) than in arguing for equal wages for female factory workers."
Outlaw Marriages by Rodger Streitmatter serves up a history lesson for the Supreme Court via this excellent post at Biographile:
While the Court mulls, however, we'd like to clear up some misunderstanding. Take the "recent" institution of gay marriage, as Justice Samuel Alito seems bent on calling it. Alito is trying to dissuade any major ruling on the grounds that evidence on the effects of same-sex marriage is too little, too soon: "You want us to step in and render a decision based on an assessment of the effects of this institution which is newer than cell phones and the internet?" he asked. "We do not have the ability to see the future."
Fortunately, we don't have to. We mere humans may not wear the robes of soothsayers (or Justices, for that matter), Mr. Alito, but we do have access to local libraries and the benefit of hindsight. While, yes, the formal institution of gay marriage is recent, author Rodger Streitmatter reminds us that gay folks have been resourcefully affirming their own versions of marriage for centuries. In fact, they've found ways of making it work with or without our questionably-gay-Uncle Sam's nodding approval.
My Mother's Wars by Lillian Faderman featured as part of a round-up of titles on the post-War Jewish American experience on Biographile.
My Mother's Wars is the memoir that Mary, a Latvian Jew and New York immigrant, “was never able to write.” Faderman shares her spirited mother’s story from life-altering experiences (the Nazi's brutal annihilation of Preil, the shetl where Mary was born) to mundane city moments. Each are rendered with poetry and frankness. Beginning in 1914, Faderman chronicles Mary’s futile love affair with commitment-phobic Moishe, the wrenching isolation of immigration and the insidious backdrop of antisemitism. Mary may not have been able to tell her story, but it’s testament to her incredible life that her daughter did it for her.
What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine by Danielle Ofri
Kirkus Reviews: “An invaluable guide for doctors and patients on how to ‘recognize and navigate the emotional subtexts’ of the doctor-patient relationship.”
Upcoming Author Appearances:
- David D. Burstein at NYU bookstore
When: Tue Apr 2, 2013 6pm to Tue Apr 2, 2013 9pm EDT Where: New York University
- Rashid Khalidi at the Politics & Prose Bookstore
When: Fri Apr 5, 2013 7pm to Fri Apr 5, 2013 10pm EDT Where: Politics & Prose Bookstore
- Rashid Khalid, Keynote Speaker for Historians Against War National Conference
When: Sat Apr 6, 2013 1pm to 4pm EDT Where: Towson University
- Rashid Khalidi at Temple University
When: Mon Apr 8, 2013 4pm to 7pm EDT Where: Public History at Temple University
- Lillian Faderman at the Sandwich Newcomers Club
When: Tue Apr 9, 2013 7pm to Tue Apr 9, 2013 10pm EDT Where: Newcomers Club, Sandwich