Books
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Efficient Womanhood: Women and the Making of the Universal Negro Improvement Association
From its Kingston, Jamaica, inception in 1914, women helped define and shape the Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist aims of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Their efforts, made possible in part by UNIA cofounder Amy Ashwood Garvey, helped sustain the largest social justice organization of the twentieth century. In this deeply researched collective biography, Natanya Duncan documents the complexities of UNIA women as active participants in Black nation-building. Women from both sides of the Atlantic joined the UNIA in pursuit of gender and racial equality, developing a three-tiered activist strategy that Duncan calls "efficient womanhood" seek equitable partnerships with like-minded persons and organizations, work as peer and intergenerational mentors, and serve as bridge builders between the organization and resources and people in service to their immediate communities and the race at large.Through an impressive and original archive of their self-determination, Duncan presents the stories of Henrietta Vinton Davis, Maymie de Mena, and Laura Kofey, as well as groups of UNIA women like the Black Cross Nurses, the Universal African Motor Corp, and the Lucy 9 Club, who circumvented the ideals of their era and created a brand of independent female leadership. The book demonstrates how UNIA women orchestrated and activated the organization from the bottom up while influencing and informing men and each other. By focusing on how women of the UNIA created an activist framework, Duncan reveals a model of organizing that has endured into the present day.
$34.95 $29.95
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Jewish Appendix: a memoir
Known for his smart, lively baseball writing, his acclaimed biography of the rock music legend Chrissie Hynde, and his erudite literary essays, Adam Sobsey returns with a powerful, passionate, deeply personal memoir of reckoning with his Jewish identity. In October of 2018, the day after a gunman walked into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and killed eleven Jews, Adam Sobsey woke up with acute stomach pain. The next morning, he was in surgery to remove his appendix. A nonpracticing Jew, he made no connection between these two events. But six months later, when he arrives in Romania to visit the homeland of his great-grandparents, who had immigrated a century earlier - to Pittsburgh, where they helped found a synagogue-he is besieged by a mysterious illness that responds to no treatment and just as mysteriously vanishes the day he leaves the country, three weeks later. Through the upheaval in his body and his encounters with the ravaged ruins of Jewish life in Romania-and flooded by memories of his own past-Sobsey is forced to confront his Jewish identity and roots. Once at home again, he bonds to his heritage by immersing himself in the power of words: a forgotten corner of the Hebrew Bible, the legendary travel writing of Patrick Leigh Fermor, and Jewish writers and artists ranging from the seminal Romanian existentialist poet Benjamin Fondane, who perished at Auschwitz, to Bob Dylan himself. Finally, he goes to Pittsburgh, in search of last clues about his family origins.
$30.00 $25.00
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Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments from Washington to Biden
"From Washington to Jefferson, Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Kennedy to Nixon, Reagan to Obama and Biden, the 45 United States presidents have left lasting impacts on our nation. Some of their legacies continue today, some are justly forgotten, and some have changed as America has changed. ... The authors' ... research has uncovered never before seen historical facts based on private correspondence and newly discovered documentation, such as George Washington's troubled relationship with his mother. In [their book], O'Reilly and Dugard present 45 ... entertaining and insightful portraits of each president, with no-spin commentary on their achievements--or lack thereof. Who best served America, and who undermined the founding ideals? Who were the first ladies, and what were their surprising roles in making history? Which presidents were the best, which the worst, and which didn't have much impact?"--
$42.99 $37.99
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Bulge and Beyond: The Things Our Fathers Saw-The Untold Stories of the World War II Generation-Volume VI
THE NEW BOOK from MATTHEW ROZELL in the best-selling 'THE THINGS OUR FATHERS SAW' World War II oral history series.In THE BULGE AND BEYOND, you will be with the soldiers going into the heart of the bloodiest single battle fought by the US Army in American history, the so-called 'Battle of the Bulge'.VOLUME 6 OF THE BEST SELLING 'THE THINGS OUR FATHERS SAW' SERIESFrom the Great Depression to Pearl Harbor, from high school to the combat zone, from boot camp to the end of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan, here are more of the stories that we can't afford not to hear, from a vanishing generation speaking to America today.In 'THE BULGE AND BEYOND', you will be among the columns of young, tired men slogging it out in the malevolent forest, cold, dark, and medieval. You will walk the with the scout to his targeted outpost. You will lay in a freezing minefield by day, hoping to elude the sniper's bullet, and forever experience the complete inability to ever again feel warm. Nineteen thousand American GIs never saw their mothers again; tens of thousands more were wounded or taken prisoner in Hitler's last great counter-offensive that shocked the world. In 'THE BULGE AND BEYOND', our veterans sit down and speak to you directly about what they experienced. World War II brought out the worst in humanity, but it also brought out the best; in these narratives you will draw your own lessons. Here are the stories that a special generation of Americans told us for the future when we took the time to be still, to listen, and to draw strength.19,000 American GIs never saw their mothers again.- "Hell came in like a freight train. I heard an explosion and went back to where my friend was. His legs were blown off-he bled to death in my arms."Maybe our veterans did not volunteer to tell us their stories; perhaps we were too busy with our own lives to ask. But they opened up to a younger generation, when a history teacher taught his students to engage.As we forge ahead as a nation, do we owe it to ourselves to become reacquainted with a generation that is fast leaving us, who asked for nothing but gave everything, to attune ourselves as Americans to a broader appreciation of what we stand for?This is the sixth book in the masterful WWII oral history series, but you can read them in any order.It's time to listen to them. REMEMBER how a generation of young Americans truly saved the world.Or maybe it was all for nothing?Dying for freedom isn't the worst that could happen. Being forgotten is.- "A must-read in every high school in America. It is a very poignant look back at our greatest generation; maybe it will inspire the next one."Reviewer, Vol. I
$39.99 $34.99
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Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports
Read the captivating biography of Abe Saperstein, originator of the Harlem Globetrotters, which is called "meticulously researched and written in an easy and entertaining style" by Booklist in a starred review.The original Harlem Globetrotters weren't from Harlem, and they didn't start out as globetrotters. The talented all-Black team, started by Jewish immigrant Abe Saperstein, was from Chicago's South Side and toured the Midwest in Saperstein's model-T. But with Saperstein's savvy and the players' skills, the Globetrotters would become a worldwide sensation.Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports is the fascinating biography of Saperstein, a five-foot-three promoter who made an amazing impact in a sport where height is at a premium: basketball. After Saperstein founded the team in the 1920s, they battled everything from blizzards to bigotry, steadily building a reputation for talent and comedy until their footprint covered the entire world. Abe Saperstein's impact went well beyond the Harlem Globetrotters. He helped keep baseball's Negro Leagues alive, was a force in getting pitching great Satchel Paige his shot at the majors, and befriended Olympic star Jesse Owens when he fell on hard times. When Saperstein started the American Basketball League, he pioneered the three-point shot, which has dramatically changed the sport. Globetrotter reveals the tireless work and impressive achievements of a man and a basketball team that made millions of people laugh, gasp, and applaud at their astounding performances.
$40.00 $35.00
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Alias Billy the Kid
In 1948 a childhood friend of Billy the Kid claimed Billy was still living and led investigators to a man in Texas known as William H. "Brushy Bill" Roberts. After iniitially denying it, Brushy finally agreed to confess his identity on the condition the investigator would help him obtain a pardon so he could die a free man. Over the course of several months Mr. Roberts provided many astounding proofs that he was the Kid of legend, including physical evidence and firsthand knowledge of many obscure aspects of the Kid's life. In addition, the investigator assisted Roberts with finding living acquaintances of Billy the Kid who signed sworn affidavits stating Roberts was the man they knew. Now after more than 50 years Brushy's original story is available for the first time ever in paperback.
$23.00 $18.00
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Foundational Black American Race Baiter: My Journey Into Understanding Systematic Racism
Racism is the most powerful system on the planet, yet it is often perceived as the most taboo subject to discuss.In this book, Foundational Black American Race Baiter, world-renowned influencer Tariq Nasheed gives his honest and sometimes controversial perspective on race relations. Nasheed, was born in Detroit Michigan, and raised as a youth in Birmingham Alabama. But he spent much of his life, including his "truly formative years" in Los Angeles. Foundational Black American Race Baiter chronicles his experiences growing up in these different environments, and how these experiences shaped Nasheed's understanding of systematic racism.
$34.95 $29.95
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Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made
An engaging and original historical portrait of eight of the most influential political figures of the twentieth century: Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, FDR, Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion, and Mao. The Titans of the Twentieth Century addresses an age-old question: what is the impact of individuals on history? The first half of the twentieth century offered political leaders enormous scope for changing the world. This book consists of essays about eight who, for better and for worse, did just that. Woodrow Wilson had a vision for a cooperative world order that failed after the First World War but gained in influence after the Second. Vladimir Ilich Lenin founded the totalitarian communist political system that controlled a large part of the planet for much of the twentieth century. Adolf Hitler started history's worst war and presided over history's worst atrocity, the Holocaust. Winston Churchill provided inspiring leadership to Great Britain, which made it possible to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt steered the United States through the Great Depression and the Second World War. Mohandas Gandhi led the movement, and developed the philosophy of non-violence, that ended British rule in South Asia, paving the way for the end of empires throughout Asia and Africa. David Ben-Gurion led the miraculous restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land. Mao Zedong, imposed totalitarian communist rule on China and became history's most egregious mass murderer. Individually, each chapter offers fresh and often surprising portraits of the twentieth century's titans. Collectively, the essays present a vivid and revealing portrait of a turbulent half-century that shaped the world of today.
$39.99 $34.99
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Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah
The Story of the Visionary Who Led Ghana to Independence"No race, no people, no nation can exist freely and be respected at home and abroad without political freedom," writes Ghanaian prime minister Kwame Nkrumah in his 1957 autobiography. From humble beginnings in a small village, Nkrumah left Africa to be educated abroad, where he met other pan-Africanists who shaped his political understanding. From the time he returned home to the Gold Coast-then a British colony-his story became one with the his country's struggle for independence. Witnessing earlier attempts at West African nationalism that failed to support the masses, and believing that a colonial authority would be more likely to relinquish power to a well-organized government supported by a majority of Ghana's population, he formed the Convention People's Party "as the democratic instrument of the people's will and aspirations."Here Dr. Nkrumah shares his life and evolving political philosophy over his several-year journey toward becoming the first prime minister and then president of the newly independent Ghana. His embrace of nonviolence and promotion of Pan-African unity earned him the moniker "the African Nehru." Writing in his autobiography, he states, "Our example must inspire and strengthen those who are still under foreign domination."Nkrumah's passion for the independence of his people and for neighboring African states infuses this book with inspiration. Still relevant after six decades, this lucid, personal recounting of a pivotal moment in African political history is instrumental to understanding the challenges facing today's evolving African society.This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a hardcover (ISBN 1635619130).
$40.95 $35.95
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Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics
2024 Outstanding Academic Title, given by Choice Reviews Celebrates the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin, the civil rights leader behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom While we can all recall images of Martin Luther King Jr. giving his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of a massive crowd at Lincoln Memorial, few of us remember the man who organized this watershed nonviolent protest in eight short weeks: Bayard Rustin. This was far from Rustin's first foray into the fight for civil rights. As a world-traveling pacifist, he brought Gandhi's protest techniques to the forefront of US civil rights demonstrations, helped build the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led the fight for economic justice, and played a deeply influential role in the life of Dr. King by helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolent resistance. Rustin's legacy touches many areas of contemporary life--from civil resistance to violent uprisings, democracy to socialism, and criminal justice reform to war resistance. Despite these achievements, Rustin was often relegated to the background. He was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. With expansive, searching, and sometimes critical essays from a range of esteemed writers--including Rustin's own partner, Walter Naegle--this volume draws a full picture of Bayard Rustin: a gay, pacifist, socialist political radical who changed the course of US history and set a precedent for future civil rights activism, from LGBTQ+ Pride to Black Lives Matter.
$35.00 $30.00
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Mary Cassatt Between Paris and New York: The Making of a Transatlantic Legacy
"An authoritative, beautifully illustrated study."--Kirkus Reviews The first comprehensive study of Cassatt's life, work, and legacy through the prism of a transatlantic framework. This book re-envisions Mary Cassatt in the context of her transatlantic network, friendships, exhibitions, politics, and legacy. Rather than defining her as either an American artist or a French impressionist, author Ruth E. Iskin argues that we can best understand Cassatt through the complexity of her multiple identifications as an American patriot, a committed French impressionist, and a suffragist. Contextualizing Cassatt's feminist outlook within the intense pro- and anti-suffrage debates in the United States, Iskin shows how these impacted her artistic representations of motherhood, fatherhood, and older women. Mary Cassatt between Paris and New York also argues for the historical importance of her work as an advisor to American collectors, and demonstrates the role of museums in shaping her legacy, highlighting the combined impact of gender, national, and transnational dynamics.
$54.95 $49.95
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Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar
The ocean is one of the few untamed places on earth--unpredictable and unsympathetic to the lives lost there. For this reason, people remain fascinated by its tides, currents, and mysteries. Life and Death at Cape Disappointment is Christopher J. D'Amelio's first-hand account of life as a surfman at one of the Coast Guard's most dangerous stations. Cape Disappointment is one of the most notorious Coast Guard units on the Pacific Coast. Its area of responsibility is referred to as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." This book focuses on five of the most significant search and rescue cases during D'Amelio's tour and how such work affected him and his colleagues mentally and physically. It's armchair entertainment for those enthralled by the ocean.
$24.95 $19.95
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