Scan barcode
A review by nancf
Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance by Mark Whitaker
3.0
3.5, not quite a 4, because some parts went slowly for me.
Smoketown ( a nickname for Pittsburgh) is a well-researched, well-written book about "The Other Great Black Renainssance." I learned much reading it, though there were some familiar names and places.
I was struck by the overt discrimination in the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and beyond, surprised, but perhaps not surprised, with things that happened in my lifetime.
The book covered music, sports, journalism and a bit of politics and while all were interesting the music parts were of most interest to me.
"...Hoover [J.Edgar] complained that his efforts to crack down on the press were being thwarted by FDR's attorney general, Francis Biddle. Biddle, a Philadelphia patrician and disciple of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, believed that the press had a constitutional right to criticize the government, as long as it did not directly assist the enemy." (174)
Smoketown ( a nickname for Pittsburgh) is a well-researched, well-written book about "The Other Great Black Renainssance." I learned much reading it, though there were some familiar names and places.
I was struck by the overt discrimination in the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and beyond, surprised, but perhaps not surprised, with things that happened in my lifetime.
The book covered music, sports, journalism and a bit of politics and while all were interesting the music parts were of most interest to me.
"...Hoover [J.Edgar] complained that his efforts to crack down on the press were being thwarted by FDR's attorney general, Francis Biddle. Biddle, a Philadelphia patrician and disciple of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, believed that the press had a constitutional right to criticize the government, as long as it did not directly assist the enemy." (174)