Raymond Valinoti Jr. (Author of Another Nice Mess

Raymond Valinoti Jr. wrote a new blog post I Have a New Book Out From 1942 to 1956, Warner Brothers released a series of comedy shorts starring George O'Hanlon (best known as the voice of George Jetson) as fumbling Read more of this blog post »
Jul 20, 2026 10:03AM · like
Raymond Valinoti rated a book really liked it A. Philip Randolph and the Struggle for Civil Rights (New Black Studies) by Cornelius L. Bynum	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Full scale biographies of the noted African-American civil rights leader Asa Philip Randolph (1889-1979) have already been published. This book by Cornelius L. Bynum concentrates on the earlier years of Randolph's life and career. The author explains ...more
Jun 17, 2026 05:22PM · like · see review
Raymond Valinoti rated a book it was amazing Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture) by Alison M. Parker	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Civil rights activist Mary "Mollie" Church Terrell had a long eventful life, as revealed in Alison M. Parker's biography UNCEASING MILITANT: THE LIFE OF MARY CHURCH TERRELL. When she was born on September 23, 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee, the U.S. Civi ...more
May 14, 2026 05:22PM · 1 like · like · see review
Raymond Valinoti rated a book really liked it Langston Hughes (Critical Lives) by W. Jason Miller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
More than half a century after the black literary figure Langston Hughes's passing on May 22, 1967, his works, particularly his poems, continue to be read. But what was Langston Hughes like as a human being? And how did his personal life influence hi ...more
Apr 08, 2026 05:03PM · 1 like · like · see review
Raymond Valinoti rated a book really liked it Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution (Jewish Lives) by Shlomo Avineri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This concise biography of the renowned German philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883) is a book in the Jewish Lives series. But what exactly was Marx's contribution to Jewish history? His ethnic background was completely Jewish. As a matter of fact, two gr ...more
Mar 22, 2026 05:37PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Karl Marx by Shlomo Avineri. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Karl Marx by Shlomo Avineri <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Raymond Valinoti rated a book it was amazing Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter by Kerri K. Greenidge	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Who was William Monroe Trotter? And why should he not be forgotten? Kerri K. Greenidge answers these questions in this illuminating and insightful biography. The book's title BLACK RADICAL, provides some indication of Trotter's historical significanc ...more
Mar 13, 2026 04:03PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Black Radical by Kerri K. Greenidge. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Black Radical by Kerri K. Greenidge <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Raymond Valinoti rated a book really liked it Nehru: The Invention of India by Shashi Tharoor	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a worthy introduction for neophytes about Jawaharlal Nehru who crusaded for India's liberation from British rule and later became Prime Minister of the newly independent nation. It provides a segment summarizing India's political movements du ...more
Feb 22, 2026 06:14AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Nehru by Shashi Tharoor. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Nehru by Shashi Tharoor <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Raymond Valinoti rated a book it was amazing Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior by Christopher M. Finan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
ALFRED E. SMITH: THE HAPPY WARRIOR is a highly satisfactory biography of politician Alfred E. Smith. Born on December 30, 1873 in New York City, he enjoyed four successful terms as Governor of New York between 1919 and 1929. During this tenure, he sp ...more
Feb 15, 2026 01:59PM · like · see review
Raymond Valinoti finished reading Queen Alexandra (Biography & Memoirs) by Georgina Battiscombe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 11, 2026 02:27PM · like

Raymond Valinoti Jr. wrote a new blog post

I Have a New Book Out

From 1942 to 1956, Warner Brothers released a series of comedy shorts starring George O'Hanlon (best known as the voice of George Jetson) as fumbling Read more of this blog post »

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A. Philip Randolph and the Struggle for Civil Rights by Cornelius L. Bynum

A. Philip Randolph and the Struggle for Civil Rights (New Black Studies)
by Cornelius L. Bynum

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Full scale biographies of the noted African-American civil rights leader Asa Philip Randolph (1889-1979) have already been published. This book by Cornelius L. Bynum concentrates on the earlier years of Randolph's life and career. The author explains Full scale biographies of the noted African-American civil rights leader Asa Philip Randolph (1889-1979) have already been published. This book by Cornelius L. Bynum concentrates on the earlier years of Randolph's life and career. The author explains in the book's introduction, "I view his 1950s and 1960s civil rights activism as largely illustrative of his social, political, and economic thinking rather than formative to its development. It was in the interwar years- the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s- where the sharp contours of his ideas about social justice, race and class, interest group politics, and direct action took shape."

Bynum documents Asa's youth in Jacksonville, Florida. His father, James Randolph, was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church and his preaching of the gospel instilled both his congregants and his son in a determination to always keep one's head high when dealing with racism. Asa's mother Elizabeth also had a strong influence on her son, teaching him to stand up for himself. Bynum does a commendable job in bringing James and Elizabeth Randolph to life as both parents who made their mark on their son and as individuals with their own desires and perspectives on managing their lives. In 1911, Asa migrated to Harlem, New York. Greatly inspired by black civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois's literary treatise THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, he aspired to become one of the "talented tenth" DuBois proposed who would uplift the blacks in America, rescuing them from the Jim Crow laws currently oppressing them. He attended the City College of New York and although he did not graduate, he became well-read and well-informed. Eagerly taking part in the flourishing black intellectual movement in Harlem, Asa joined the Socialist party and remained a member for the rest of his life. But although Randolph believed socialism provided the best opportunity for racial equality in America, he was resolutely opposed to Communism. Randolph felt that blacks had a better chance to achieve racial equality in an elective democracy than in a left-wing dictatorship.

During World War I, Asa became editor of a black civil rights journal called the MESSENGER. Under his leadership in the following years, the MESSENGER advocated militant action against Jim Crow oppression, particularly self-defense and collective action. Randolph pilloried the popular Jamaican-born black leader Marcus Garvey for his policy of racial separatism, insisting that African-Americans should work toward racial integration. Although Asa acknowledged the deep-seated prejudice of many whites he contended that they could ultimately be persuaded to accept blacks as equals. Throughout the post-World War I years, Randolph became an influential and leading figure in the civil rights movement.

In 1925, Randolph helped establish a union called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids. Other railway unions existed but they discriminated against blacks. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids had few white members. Throughout the rest of the 1920s and into the 1930s, Asa tirelessly fought for recognition from the United States's leading labor organization, the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Eventually the AFL was persuaded to acknowledge the legitimacy of Randolph's union. He also toiled to achieve recognition of his union from the Pullman Company, a powerful railroad corporation. The labor union movement gained support from Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential administration in the 1930s so Randolph was able obtain a contract with the Pullman Company.

In the 1940s the United States began defense production in preparation for a looming World War II. Randolph organized the March on Washington Movement in 1941, threatening to lead a demonstration in the capital of Washington, D.C. unless President Roosevelt ended discrimination in the military industries. The President was hesitant, not wanting to alienate his bigoted white Southern supporters. However, Roosevelt feared Randolph's protest march would result in widespread racial violence. He issued Executive Order 8802, which set up the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) to enforce equal opportunity hirings. Having achieved his goal, Asa called off the protest march. The author points out that Randolph's work in establishing the FEPC "profoundly shaped the course of the civil rights movement in the post-World War II years."

Cornelius L. Bynum's book is well written and well researched. He draws on a variety of sources, including Randolph's personal documents, now housed at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Bynum could have utilized even more sources, particularly local newspapers and census records in order to shed light on Asa's youth in Florida. On the whole, however, A. PHILIP RANDOLPH AND THE STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS is a persuasive account on how Randolph evolved as a civil rights activist and how his work affected America's blacks during the early part of the twentieth century. Recommended. ...more

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Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture)
by Alison M. Parker

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Civil rights activist Mary "Mollie" Church Terrell had a long eventful life, as revealed in Alison M. Parker's biography UNCEASING MILITANT: THE LIFE OF MARY CHURCH TERRELL. When she was born on September 23, 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee, the U.S. Civi Civil rights activist Mary "Mollie" Church Terrell had a long eventful life, as revealed in Alison M. Parker's biography UNCEASING MILITANT: THE LIFE OF MARY CHURCH TERRELL. When she was born on September 23, 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee, the U.S. Civil War was raging over American slavery. By the time of her death at ninety on July 24, 1954 in Highland Beach, Maryland, not only was slavery long abolished but the U.S. Supreme Court had recently declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional. Between these two milestones, Mollie devoted her energies to fight for both racial and gender equality. Author Parker has not only examined her published autobiography, which concentrates on her political activities, but also her personal papers, correspondence, and private archives, which shed light on her private life. Parker has also studied newspaper and magazine articles, oral histories, and public archives to uncover additional information on her subject. With all this vast research, the author has constructed a well-rounded, credible portrait of a determined individual who, like everyone else, was fallible, but who never faltered in her commitment to social justice.

Previous scholars who've written about Terrell have contended that early in her career, she was more concerned with respectability than direct action and that only later in life did she become an antiracism activist. Parker reveals that all throughout her life, Mollie engaged in confrontational tactics to achieve her goals. For instance, she was one of many black women who marched in the 1913 women's suffrage parade. And immediately after the end of World War I in 1919, she was the only African-American to participate in two international women's conventions in Europe. She was the first president of the National Association of Colored Women and she helped establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Terrell wasn't afraid to express her own opinions on how to achieve equal rights which resulted in disputes with the prominent black civil rights leaders of the early 20th century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. She also argued with white suffragists like Alice Paul who prioritized the rights of white women over the rights of black women.

Mollie enjoyed the unconditional support of her lawyer husband Robert "Berto" Terrell in pursuing her civil rights endeavors. However, Terrell's personal life wasn't thoroughly serene. She endured personal tragedies, including two failed pregnancies and the death of an infant child. Eventually she gave birth to a healthy daughter, Phyllis, and she adopted another daughter, Mary. Raising her children wasn't easy for her because Mollie struggled to combine her maternal duties with her social activism. After her husband died in 1925, Mollie had an affair with a married man, the black U.S. Congressman Oscar De Priest. The relationship was not only intimate but political; they collaborated to fight for racial equality. Eventually, the relationship ended acrimoniously; Mollie was furious to learn that De Priest was seeing other women. Alison M. Parker nonjudgmentally examines the liaison using whatever documents available without resorting to sensationalism.

As she got older, Mollie continued to remain involved in civil rights struggles. For most of her life, she was a member of the Republican Party. She believed that this party, founded in the mid 19th century on an anti-slavery platform and headed by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, was more sensitive to the rights of blacks than the Democratic party. But she had to deal with the racism and indifference among the Republican party's white leaders. Mollie later forged alliances with other political leaders and organizations such as the American Communist party. She established ties with left-leaning civil rights figures like A. Philip Randolph and Paul Robeson. Because of her associations with such radical people and organizations, she was smeared as a dangerous subversive by the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the height of the McCarthy era. But Mollie refused to be intimidated. And in her final years, she achieved some success through her efforts, like helping to desegregate restaurants and stores in Washington, D.C. By the time of her passing, she was revered by the black community. At her funeral, Paul Robeson eulogized her as an "unceasing militant" who fought "for the full citizenship of her people." Parker's biography does full justice to Terrell. Highly recommended. ...more

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Langston Hughes (Critical Lives)
by W. Jason Miller

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More than half a century after the black literary figure Langston Hughes's passing on May 22, 1967, his works, particularly his poems, continue to be read. But what was Langston Hughes like as a human being? And how did his personal life influence hi More than half a century after the black literary figure Langston Hughes's passing on May 22, 1967, his works, particularly his poems, continue to be read. But what was Langston Hughes like as a human being? And how did his personal life influence his writing? W. Jason Miller provides fascinating insight on both Hughes the man and Hughes the writer in this compact biography simply title LANGSTON HUGHES. It is part of a series of books called CRITICAL LIVES and Miller succinctly explains what made Langston Hughes's life so critical.

Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1901 in Joplin, Missouri. His father James Nathaniel Hughes had some Caucasian roots in his lineage. His mother Carrie Langston Hughes had a Cherokee grandmother. Langston's upbringing wasn't easy, to say the least. When only a youngster, his parents parted ways. Langston's father moved to Mexico. Because his mother was often away taking various jobs, the boy himself was raised by his maternal grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, until he was thirteen. At that age, he moved to Lincoln, Illinois to live with his mother and her second husband. In that town, he began writing poetry. Later, the family moved to Cleveland. Growing up, Langston experienced prejudice. For example, author Miller reveals that when he was a boy, he overheard a teacher tease the white children not to eat licorice or else they'd turn black like Langston.

Upon completion of high school, Langston spent a year in Mexico with his father. He went back to the States to enroll in Columbia University. Frustrated by the professors there and alienated from his schoolmates, Langston dropped out. While supporting himself with odd jobs, he submitted poems to publications. He was then hired as a seaman and traveled by boat to Europe and Africa. After returning home, Langston went to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; this time he got a degree. In 1926, his first book of collected poems, THE WEARY BLUES, was published. Becoming prolific in his literary output, Hughes was the first American black man to earn a living solely by writing. Not only did he write poems, but he also wrote short stories, novels, and plays. These works concentrated not only on Hughes's personal experiences as a black man but the experiences of blacks everywhere. He acquired a considerable readership not only in the United States but all over the world, particularly in Africa. One foreign country, Venezuela, tried to secure a nomination for him for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1960.

But Miller points out that in the United States, Hughes was harassed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The bigoted FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover considered Langston to be a dangerous subversive not only because he was outspoken about racial injustice in his country but he was highly critical of America's free enterprise system. Hoover branded Hughes a Communist sympathizer, especially since the writer had visited the Soviet Union. In 1953, in the middle of his red-baiting witch hunt, Senator Joseph McCarthy called Hughes before his Senate Subcommittee. Langston would not name names of accused subversives and after grilling him, the Subcommittee dismissed him. But the FBI maintained a file on Hughes until 1965.

Miller examines Hughes's significant role in the civil rights movement. He composed poems not only championing the movement but also its leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hughes had such a high regard for King that he stated twice that he would become a "permanent fixture of black history." King in turn esteemed Hughes's poetry. In fact, Hughes' 1945 poem "I Dream a World" inspired King's celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Miller also touches on Hughes' personal life. He acknowledges that because the writer "was so guarded about his sexuality," there is no definite proof of intimate relationships with either gender. But Hughes's attitude toward homosexuality was sympathetic and enlightened for the time, as evident in a 1951 poem CAFE': 3 A.M. Miller's biography is a worthy introduction to the life and work of this remarkable black literary figure. Recommended. ...more

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Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution (Jewish Lives)
by Shlomo Avineri

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This concise biography of the renowned German philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883) is a book in the Jewish Lives series. But what exactly was Marx's contribution to Jewish history? His ethnic background was completely Jewish. As a matter of fact, two gr This concise biography of the renowned German philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883) is a book in the Jewish Lives series. But what exactly was Marx's contribution to Jewish history? His ethnic background was completely Jewish. As a matter of fact, two grandfathers were rabbis. But the immediate family that raised him did not practice the Jewish religion. Karl's father, Heinrich, converted to the Lutheran religion in order to obtain employment in the civil service. (The civil service in Prussia, where Karl was born and raised, and which eventually became part of Germany in 1871, did not hire Jews.) In adulthood, Karl was a resolute atheist and he never publicly discussed his Jewish roots. But although biographer Shlomo Avineri acknowledges, "Marx cannot be seen as a 'Jewish thinker' and his knowledge of matters Jewish was minimal." the author goes on to contend, "Yet his Jewish origins and background did leave significant fingerprints in his work, some of them obvious and others less so."

What exactly were these fingerprints? At a time when Jews in Europe were struggling for social and political equality, Marx publicly championed their rights. He argued that they didn't have to convert to Christianity in order to be accepted in society: "...the Jew who demands freedom and nonetheless is not willing to give up his religion...is making a demand which does not contradict political freedom..." He also empathized with the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem, which was then part of the Muslim-ruled Ottoman Empire: "Nothing equals the misery and suffering of the Jews of Jerusalem, inhabiting the most filthy quarter of the town...[they are] the constant objects of Mussulman [Muslim] oppression and intolerance, insulted by the [Eastern Orthodox Christian] Greeks, persecuted by the [Roman Catholic] Latins, and living only upon the scant alms transmitted by their European brethren...attracted to Jerusalem...to die on the very place where the redemption is to be expected." Avineri quotes an earlier Marx scholar, Isaiah Berlin who argued that the philosopher's eloquent campaign for the proletariat was due to his Jewish ancestry: "It is the oppression of centuries of a people of pariahs, not of a recently risen class, that is speaking in him." But Avineri acknowledges this is speculation.

Despite Marx's professed sympathy for the Jewish people, he publicly expressed a blinkered view of the Jewish religion. He wrote, "What is the secular cult of the Jews? Huckstering. What is his secular god? Money...What, in itself, was the basis of the Jewish religion? Practical need, egoism." He went on to insist that "the social emancipation of the Jew is the emancipation of society for Judaism." Avineri does not condone these offensive statements but he theorizes Marx "might have felt that he had to bend over backward and distance himself as much as possible from Jews and Judaism so as not to be accused of supporting Jewish rights because of his own Jewish background." Perhaps but Marx could have expressed it more delicately, without indulging in anti-Semitic stereotyping. Avineri also admits that in his private correspondence, Marx repeatedly hurled anti-Jewish epithets at people he disagreed with. Marx could be notoriously harsh and undiplomatic in his criticism, but perhaps he was unconsciously expressing a Jewish self-hatred. But again, this is speculation.

Avineri recognizes that Marx's Jewish background did not entirely motivate his private and public actions. Karl's became renowned during his lifetime and posthumously for his philosophy on class struggle. But although he was accused by both authorities and detractors of being a dangerous subversive and spent the later years of his life in exile in Britain, Marx did not advocate violent revolution. He was much more of a theorist than he was an activist. He briefly participated in the attempted revolution of 1848-49 in his native Germany, but mainly by editorializing for democratic reforms in the press. Karl Marx became famous for what he wrote rather than what he did, particularly THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO and DAS KAPITAL. Marx believed that capitalism would eventually collapse, but he cautioned his readers against an immediate insurrection. He contended that social change would eventually develop as "an outcome of the tension inherent in capitalism itself." Avineri points that most English translations of Marx's writings, particularly in the former Soviet Union, are misleading. In fact when V.I. Lenin contended he was carrying out Marx' words in proclaiming a revolution in Russia, he was misinterpreting them. Avineri has carefully translated Marx's original writings from German.

Avineri provides a little insight on Marx as a human being, particularly his marriage and his relationship with his daughters, who tried to carry out his legacy after his death. The financially strapped Marx also received monetary support during his lifetime from his prosperous colleague, Friedrich Engels, who also promoted Marx's legacy. Only eleven people attended his funeral but thanks to Engels' effort, a worldwide political movement based on his teachings flourished. Marx's prediction that capitalism would die has not been realized but his works are still remembered and "Marxist" movements still survive despite the fall of the Soviet Union. Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution is a good introduction for readers of this influential theorist. Recommended. ...more

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Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter
by Kerri K. Greenidge

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Who was William Monroe Trotter? And why should he not be forgotten? Kerri K. Greenidge answers these questions in this illuminating and insightful biography. The book's title BLACK RADICAL, provides some indication of Trotter's historical significanc Who was William Monroe Trotter? And why should he not be forgotten? Kerri K. Greenidge answers these questions in this illuminating and insightful biography. The book's title BLACK RADICAL, provides some indication of Trotter's historical significance- he was a zealous black crusader for racial equality. Born on April 7, 1872 in Chillicothe, Ohio, he grew up in Hyde Park, Boston. Both of his parents fought for the rights of their race. They instilled in the young William a strong pride in his race and a staunch resistance to white supremacy. Trotter distinguished himself at Harvard University and graduated in 1895 Phi Beta Kappa. He was the first black Harvard graduate to achieve this honor in excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.

But academic success did not automatically guarantee steady employment for Trotter. He was not only rejected by potential hirers because of his skin color, but because of his involvement in civil rights battles. Eventually, Trotter obtained a permanent job in real estate. In November 1901, he used his earnings as well as an inheritance from his father to establish a newspaper in Boston called The Guardian. For more than thirty years, Trotter utilized this paper to persuade members of his race, particularly the working class, to protest white American society's Jim Crow laws and to demand the same rights as whites.

In preaching for full racial equality, Trotter pilloried the gradual accomodationism of leading black spokesperson Booker T. Washington, contending that blacks could never even temporarily accept their inferior social status. Trotter also at times criticized Washington's chief rival W.E.B. DuBois for his elitism, insisting that all blacks, not just a selected "talented tenth", should strive toward racial equality. Trotter not only wrote passionate editorials in The Guardian but he also persuasively spoke at rallies. Greenridge doesn't conceal Trotter's shortcomings- he could be petty and egomaniacal and his attitude toward women's rights was, to be charitable, antediluvian. But his integrity and courage were never in doubt and he galvanized his readers to agitate for their liberties. Trotter was also concerned about the rights of blacks all over the world, particularly in Africa, which at that time consisted mostly of white European run colonies. He even went to Paris in 1919 to try to compel representatives at the Peace Conference to recognize the rights of his race.

But the early 20th century was not a propitious time for racial progress. Jim Crow laws not only remained intact but bigoted whites got away with lynching "uppity" blacks. In later years, Trotter was not only worn down by this tragic situation but by his own health issues. The Guardian continued to circulate but it was plagued by financial problems, especially after his supportive wife perished in the flu epidemic in 1918. Trotter's paper was particularly hit hard by the Great Depression. By the 1930s, he was a broken man, in the author's words "a prophet without honor in his own city." On April 7, 1934, his sixty-second birthday, Trotter fell to his death from the roof of a building on 41 Cunard Street in Boston.

Trotter's death devastated the black press and community. Civil rights leaders, both allies and opponents, eulogized him and black communities in American cities gathered to publicly mourn him. But author Kerri K. Greenridge informs readers that despite his demise, Trotter has continued to influence the black civil rights movement up to the present. Blacks continue to struggle for full equality today. Crusaders are faithfully adhering to Trotter's message: "We have come to protest forever against being proscribed or shut off in any caste from equal rights with other citizens, and shall remain on the firing line at any and all times in defence of such rights." Highly recommended. ...more

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Nehru: The Invention of India
by Shashi Tharoor

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This is a worthy introduction for neophytes about Jawaharlal Nehru who crusaded for India's liberation from British rule and later became Prime Minister of the newly independent nation. It provides a segment summarizing India's political movements du This is a worthy introduction for neophytes about Jawaharlal Nehru who crusaded for India's liberation from British rule and later became Prime Minister of the newly independent nation. It provides a segment summarizing India's political movements during Nehru's time, particularly the Indian National Congress, where he played a major role. The book also has another segment of brief biographical sketches of the historical figures who Nehru got involved with during his lifetime, such as his comrade and mentor Mahatma Gandhi who nonviolently crusaded for Indian freedom and Mohammed Ali Jinnah who advocated the partition of India and later became leader of Pakistan, a region that broke away from India and became an independent country. This book was published in 2003 when one of the biographical subjects, an Indian nationalist named Atal Behari Vajpayee, was still alive. He passed away in 2018.

Shashi Tharoor provides a concise yet descriptive biographical portrait of Nehru. Born on November 14, 1889, he was the product of an affluent, politically important family. His early life was an unremarkable one, enjoying a life of privilege and studying in English schools without making any waves. He returned to India in 1912 to become a lawyer but the legal profession did not stimulate him. In 1916, he first met Mahatma Gandhi and this charismatic individual inspired Nehru to participate in and eventually dominate the independence movement.

Jawaharlal willingly endured persecution and jailing from the British authorities in leading and encouraging his countrymen to fight for liberation. These efforts eventually resulted in the establishment of India as a sovereign nation in 1947. Much of the Muslim minority, following Mohammed Ali Jinnah, worried that the Hindu majority would treat them like second-class citizens even though Nehru tried to assure them he would respect their rights. So as previously noted, they seceded from the Indian nation and established Pakistan.

After India became independent, Nehru was elected Prime Minister of the country and remained in that position until his death on May 27, 1964. Shashi Tharoor provides a detailed and objective analysis of his leadership, examining both his achievements and his failures. Nehru avoided the temptation to become dictator and remained popular with his people. He worked hard to industrialize his country, particularly by establishing major public sector enterprises and developing key industries. Jawaharlal also initiated social reforms such as improving education, social justice, and healthcare.

But Nehru was not successful in everything. Particularly unavailing were his narrow economic policies which shunned foreign investments. Nehru worried that foreign investments would subject his country to colonial-style exploitation. But in discouraging them he inadvertently hindered the economic well-being of his subjects. Nehru's foreign policy was not always infallible, especially in his dealing with China. He proclaimed "Indians and Chinese are brothers" and initially trusted the Chinese government but the two countries quarreled over a region on a Sino-Indian border, It resulted in a brief conflict in 1962. Nehru had to get aid from the United States in order to discourage the Chinese from invading India. Nehru may have also remained in power too long. In his later years, he was plagued by ill health.

After documenting his life and career, Shashi Tharoor examines Nehru's legacy on his country. Since this book was published in 2003, it only covers the events after his death up to that year. Despite this minor shortcoming, this biography does justice to Nehru, explaining his importance in India's modern history. Recommended. ...more

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Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior
by Christopher M. Finan

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ALFRED E. SMITH: THE HAPPY WARRIOR is a highly satisfactory biography of politician Alfred E. Smith. Born on December 30, 1873 in New York City, he enjoyed four successful terms as Governor of New York between 1919 and 1929. During this tenure, he sp ALFRED E. SMITH: THE HAPPY WARRIOR is a highly satisfactory biography of politician Alfred E. Smith. Born on December 30, 1873 in New York City, he enjoyed four successful terms as Governor of New York between 1919 and 1929. During this tenure, he spearheaded significant reforms for his constituents such as improved housing and child welfare. But when he ran for U.S. President as a Democrat in 1928, he was soundly defeated. Author Christopher M. Finan adroitly explains this electoral loss was not only because the Republicans were in charge of the nation and took credit for its economic prosperity, but because he was a Roman Catholic. At this time, only Protestants, who made up the country's religious majority, had obtained the Presidential office and a lot of them, particularly in the South, wouldn't accept anyone from any other faith. Smith was devastated and embittered by this widespread bigotry and his political career went into eclipse. After unsuccessfully running for the Presidential nomination in 1932, Smith retired from politics and went into business. He died on October 4, 1944.

Finan vividly describes Smith's humble beginnings on the Lower East Side, his early apprenticeship at the Fulton Fish Market, his ascent in New York State politics, and his triumphant Governorship. In examining Smith's life and career up until the Presidential election of 1928, the author explores the national events and issues which influenced his subject, particularly the enactment and attempted enforcement of Prohibition and the rise of the nativist organization the Ku Klux Klan, both which Smith opposed. He also examines Smith's relationship with Franklin Delano Roosevelt who succeeded him as New York Governor and eventually became U.S. President. Smith and Roosevelt were allies and friends, but they later became rivals for the 1932 Presidential nomination and eventually became foes. Throughout the 1930s while President Roosevelt initiated the New Deal, an ambitious program which enlarged the government's role in providing aid and employment to victims of the Great Depression, Smith denounced it as un-American and detrimental to the well- being of Americans. Finan provides significant insight on the rift in their relationship. Roosevelt alienated him because in running for the Presidential nomination, he sought the backing of Smith's antagonists, particularly the anti-Catholic Democrats who voted against him in 1928. Smith's criticism of Roosevelt's New Deal, Finan reveals, was not due to jealousy but mainly because of a concern that Franklin was trying to centralize the federal government at the expense of people's liberties. Eventually the two reconciled when World War II erupted; Smith wholeheartedly supported Roosevelt's anti-Axis foreign policy.

Finan not only informs the reader about Smith's political career, but about his personal life, particularly his long and happy marriage. Alfred E. Smith is depicted as a man who wasn't always infallible in his judgment of national issues, particularly aspects of Roosevelt's New Deal, and who could be petty but was on balance a sensible, honest individual who knew how to communicate with the people and who accomplished a lot of good in his career. Highly recommended. ...more

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Queen Alexandra (Biography & Memoirs)
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