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A review by roseofoulesfame
History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry
4.0
The two main things I learned reading this book:
1. Mary Frances Berry (henceforth to be referred to as the Notorious MFB) is a badass
2. Ronald Reagan was, like, THE WORST
I impulse-bought this after being inspired by Berry's appearance on the Daily Show where she was being interviewed by Trevor Noah (name a more iconic duo; I'll wait), and I have zero regrets.
Berry has written an easily understandable, concise, straightforward history of US Presidential policies and attitudes from FDR to GWB (NB: it doesn't feature all the presidents in between, but instead mixes things up by including chapters on the Vietnam War and Apartheid).
This "scrupulously even-handed" (the chapters on Clinton and Reagan in particular were eye-openers for me; you may have to work just as hard, if not harder, to hold politicians who seem to share your values to account) account is combined with plenty of handy hints on how to protest successfully, regardless of the issue or your position in society - it's the first (non-university) book I've ever annotated. Obviously, I'll be rereading this.
1. Mary Frances Berry (henceforth to be referred to as the Notorious MFB) is a badass
2. Ronald Reagan was, like, THE WORST
I impulse-bought this after being inspired by Berry's appearance on the Daily Show where she was being interviewed by Trevor Noah (name a more iconic duo; I'll wait), and I have zero regrets.
Berry has written an easily understandable, concise, straightforward history of US Presidential policies and attitudes from FDR to GWB (NB: it doesn't feature all the presidents in between, but instead mixes things up by including chapters on the Vietnam War and Apartheid).
This "scrupulously even-handed" (the chapters on Clinton and Reagan in particular were eye-openers for me; you may have to work just as hard, if not harder, to hold politicians who seem to share your values to account) account is combined with plenty of handy hints on how to protest successfully, regardless of the issue or your position in society - it's the first (non-university) book I've ever annotated. Obviously, I'll be rereading this.