The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South

by David Griscom

In blood-red states such as Texas, politics operates under the fallacy that these places were always conservative, so that it would be foolish, even utopian, to propose a progressive alternative. The Myth of Red Texas, David Griscom’s debut book, reassesses this misconception, arguing that the Lone Star Left must embrace its hidden past to reach a brighter future.

Cowboys on strike, socialists on the ballot, farmers fighting tooth and claw for what they termed the “cooperative commonwealth”—Texas was once a wellspring of radicals hell-bent on taking power from the robber barons who ruled the day. With a careful eye for history, Griscom demonstrates how Texans’ left-wing parties, from the populists to the socialists, organized against the Right and often won—and how reclaiming that tradition can help today’s Left break the political deadlock in Texas and beyond.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, American History

238 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2026

Reviews

[Thomas Ray]

A taste of it here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/u...

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so I do think this is a very important book that highlights Texas' leftist political history, however I felt the execution to be a bit drab. I've read plenty of other non-fiction/history books that did a fantastic job setting the scene, drawing in the audience, and keeping the reader engaged while still hitting all of the important historical facts. The Myth of Red Texas, however, read to me like a very long wikipedia-style article that was rooted in getting as many facts across as possible without the additional structuring that keeps a reader engaged and interested.

Because I was personally invested in learning this subject matter and this part of Texas' history, I pretty much made myself finish this book, and I did learn a lot. Kudos to the author for taking the time to research all of this and put together this book at all, but based on the description of the book: "Cowboys on strike, socialists on the ballot, farmers fighting tooth and claw for what they termed the “cooperative commonwealth”—Texas was once a wellspring of radicals hell-bent on taking power from the robber barons who ruled the day." - this sounds so exciting! - I really thought there would be more examples and descriptions of events to keep the story of history more engaging. If I had randomly come across this book with no personal investment as a Texan, I probably would have DNF'd it, if I'm being completely honest.

Another part of the publicly available book description that I felt rang untrue was this line, "Texans’ left-wing parties, from the populists to the socialists, organized against the Right and often won" - specifically the "and often won." After finishing this book, I would be hard pressed to go back through the history given by Griscom and find examples of the leftists who "often won." I remember more than anything reading this book and feeling defeated about the fact that even though so many individual Texans held leftist/socialist values, the larger corporations and better funded political groups were in fact the actual ones who "often won", and are the ones still winning today.

Side note - I purchased a digital copy directly from OR Books on their website, and the copy I received felt unfinished/in need of additional editing. There were typos, formatting issues, and repeated words/phrases that made the edition I received feel unpolished and like this wasn't supposed to be the final product.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of OR Books and regularly pick up their newest books. _The Myth of Red Texas_ fits what I like about them, challenging my view of history with new insights. In my readings about the Southwest, Texas is a combination of numerous cultural types, with the Deep South as the dominate faction today. But Texas is big & like other states there are major differences between areas. This book highlights the Populist & Socialist movements within the state of Texas in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

The author provides the background on the conditions that brought the Populist & Socialist parties forth within Texas. One is the out-of-state corporations turning farmers into serfs. The other is the Democratic party acting like tinpot dictators, rigging elections and beating up anyone that didn't vote the way they wanted you to. The South at this time was more like a separate country that took laws under advisment. It wasn't pretty. The farmers and railroad workers banded together in their organizations to change things. Of course the corporations, politicians, and police didn't like the people standing up for themselves. Collectivism goes against Deep South individualism and capitalist desire to squeeze as much as they can out of the poor.

I didn't realize the Populist movement started in Texas. I also didn't know that the Socialist party was stronger in Texas than other places. I mainly knew of the Socialist party in the East. Namely through the work of Helen Keller (she of The Miracle Worker, which short changes Keller's accomplishments, including getting a college degree, founding the ACLU, and advocating for worker's rights around the world). But seeing it from the point of view of the Texas farmers, continually ground down due to the political machine that had a grip on the state, was eye opening.

The author points out that the major movements may have been crushed, but the spirit of what was accomplished is still around. Today corporations continue to cause farms to collapse, all in the pursuit of more money. But as a song by Aurora says, you can't eat money. There is hope in the background waiting for a time where the current leadership of the state is broken due to their corrupt policies.

[R G · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Griscom presents a well researched and well written history of populism, socialism, and labor movements in Texas. Although those movements were defeated in their day, he manages to instill a sense of hope that modern-day Texans can join together and rise up to defeat the capitalist upper class that is the true enemy of working class people. My only complaint is that I wish the book was longer, but it has inspired me to dive deeper into a history that I knew very little about.

[Caroline Drew]

highly recommend to all leftist texans! and even others! while not always totally uplifting, it’s powerful to remember that the past does not equal conservativism and that there has always — and everywhere — been a fight for equality and worker’s rights.

[Chris Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a great primer on populist and socialist movements in Texas. It left me wanting to study more about these movements, and the men and women who fought for the rights and lives of Texas workers.

[Christian Havens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic account of leftist politics in Texas.