The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America

Date:


Price: $16.99 - $11.19
(as of Aug 30, 2024 08:43:14 UTC – Details)


“An extraordinary history…Deeply researched, elegantly written…a towering achievement that will not be soon forgotten.”—Brent Staples, New York Times Book Review

“[This] epic, meticulously detailed account not only reminds its readers that newspapers matter, but so do black lives, past and present.”—USA Today

Giving voice to the voiceless, The Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, catalyzed the Great Migration, and focused the electoral power of black America. Robert S. Abbott founded The Defender in 1905, smuggled hundreds of thousands of copies into the most isolated communities in the segregated South, becoming one of the first black millionaires in the process. His successor wielded the newspaper’s clout to elect mayors and presidents, including Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, who would have lost in 1960 if not for The Defender’s support.

Drawing on dozens of interviews and extensive archival research, Ethan Michaeli constructs a revelatory narrative of race in America and brings to life the reporters who braved lynch mobs and policemen’s clubs to do their jobs, from the age of Teddy Roosevelt to the age of Barack Obama.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 6, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1328470245
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1328470249
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.71 x 8 inches

Customers say

Customers find the book very informative and a great read. Opinions are mixed on the writing style, with some finding it well-written and others finding it dull.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Essential Newsletter

We're happy you decided to visit our website.
Please take a few seconds and fill in the list details in order to subscribe to our list.
You will receive an email to confirm your subscription, just to be sure this is your email address.

Popular

More like this
Related