The Life and Times of Louis Lomax

The Life and Times of Louis Lomax
Author: Thomas Aiello
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2021-02-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 147801315X

Syndicated television and radio host. Serial liar. Pioneering journalist. Convicted criminal. Close ally of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Publicity-seeking provocateur. Louis Lomax's life was a study in contradiction. In this biography, Thomas Aiello traces the complicated and fascinating arc of Lomax's life and career, showing how the contradictions, tumult, and inconsistencies that marked his life reflected those of 1960s America. Aiello takes readers from Lomax's childhood in the Deep South to his early confidence schemes to his emergence as one of the loudest and most influential voices of the civil rights movement. Regardless of what political position he happened to take at any given moment, Lomax preached “the art of deliberate disunity,” in which the path to democracy could only be achieved through a diversity of opinions. Engaging and broad in scope, The Life and Times of Louis Lomax is the definitive study of one of the civil rights era's most complicated, important, and overlooked figures.

Mister Jelly Roll

Mister Jelly Roll
Author: Alan Lomax
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2001-12-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780520225305

A biography of Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, one of the world's most influential composers of jazz.

The Grapevine of the Black South

The Grapevine of the Black South
Author: Thomas Aiello
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0820354473

In the summer of 1928, William Alexander Scott began a small four-page weekly with the help of his brother Cornelius. In 1930 his Atlanta World became a semiweekly, and the following year W. A. began to implement his vision for a massive newspaper chain based out of Atlanta: the Southern Newspaper Syndicate, later dubbed the Scott Newspaper Syndicate. In April 1931 the World had become a triweekly, and its reach began drifting beyond the South. With The Grapevine of the Black South, Thomas Aiello offers the first critical history of this influential newspaper syndicate, from its roots in the 1930s through its end in the 1950s. At its heyday, more than 240 papers were associated with the Syndicate, making it one of the biggest organs of the black press during the period leading up to the classic civil rights era (1955–68). In the generation that followed, the Syndicate helped formalize knowledge among the African American population in the South. As the civil rights movement exploded throughout the region, black southerners found a collective identity in that struggle built on the commonality of the news and the subsequent interpretation of that news. Or as Gunnar Myrdal explained, the press was “the chief agency of group control. It [told] the individual how he should think and feel as an American Negro and create[d] a tremendous power of suggestion by implying that all other Negroes think and feel in this manner.” It didn’t create a complete homogeneity in black southern thinking, but it gave thinkers a similar set of tools from which to draw.

Womb of Monsters

Womb of Monsters
Author: Thomas Aiello
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2001-11-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0595206654

In the late sixties, a rogue psychiatrist created a gated community of mental patients called Yesterday, utilizing some revolutionary mental health techniques. When Orson Littlefield is sent to the Yesterday mental facility, he is introduced to a new medication that makes his delusions come to life. His next door neighbor, who is actually just another part of his delusion, becomes enraged when Orson kicks yet another figment of his imagination into her yard. She then promptly murders him with a nuclear warhead. Meanwhile, the antichrist, a Louisiana bunny rabbit, rises to power and seduces the world. One testament later, a high school football star takes on the persona of savior for a sports starved small town. His life is naturally replete with miracles, disciples, a donkey, and plenty of sex. Interspersed throughout are the author’s own attempts to come to terms with the fact that all the characters in his story are just figments of his imagination. Newspapers come to life, girlfriends evaporate, and various characters throughout are stricken with stigmata. A social commentary, religious satire, and absurdist comedy that examines the fine line between imagination and reality: come look inside the womb of monsters.

About Chekhov

About Chekhov
Author: Ivan Alekseevich Bunin
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2007-06-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0810123886

Seven years after the death of Anton Chekhov, his sister, Maria, wrote to a friend, "You asked for someone who could write a biography of my deceased brother. If you recall, I recommended Iv. Al. Bunin . . . . No one writes better than he; he knew and understood my deceased brother very well; he can go about the endeavor objectively. . . . I repeat, I would very much like this biography to correspond to reality and that it be written by I.A. Bunin." In About Chekhov Ivan Bunin sought to free the writer from limiting political, social, and aesthetic assessments of his life and work, and to present both in a more genuine, insightful, and personal way. Editor and translator Thomas Gaiton Marullo subtitles About Chekhov "The Unfinished Symphony," because although Bunin did not complete the work before his death in 1953, he nonetheless fashioned his memoir as a moving orchestral work on the writers' existence and art. . . . "Even in its unfinished state, About Chekhov stands not only as a stirring testament of one writer's respect and affection for another, but also as a living memorial to two highly creative artists." Bunin draws on his intimate knowledge of Chekhov to depict the writer at work, in love, and in relation with such writers as Tolstoy and Gorky. Through anecdotes and observations, spirited exchanges and reflections, this memoir draws a unique portrait that plumbs the depths and complexities of two of Russia's greatest writers.

The Sword and the Shield

The Sword and the Shield
Author: Peniel E. Joseph
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1541617851

This dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King upends longstanding preconceptions to transform our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leaders. To most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals: self-defense vs. nonviolence, black power vs. civil rights, the sword vs. the shield. The struggle for black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright. In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives. This is a strikingly revisionist biography, not only of Malcolm and Martin, but also of the movement and era they came to define.

The Artistic Activism of Elombe Brath

The Artistic Activism of Elombe Brath
Author: Thomas Aiello
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1496835409

In 1963, at the height of the southern civil rights movement, Cecil Brathwaite (1936–2014), under the pseudonym Cecil Elombe Brath, published a satire of Black leaders entitled Color Us Cullud! The American Negro Leadership Official Coloring Book. The book pillories a variety of Black leaders—from political figures like Adam Clayton Powell and Whitney Young to civil rights activists like Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin, and John Lewis, and even entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne, and Dick Gregory—critiquing the inauthenticity of movement leaders while urging a more radical approach to Black activism. Despite the strong illustrations and unique commentary presented in the coloring book, it has virtually disappeared from histories of the movement. The Artistic Activism of Elombe Brath restores the coloring book and its creator to a place of prominence in the historiography of the Black left. It begins with an analysis of Brath’s influences, describing his life and work including his development as a Black nationalist thinker and Black satirist. This volume includes Brath’s early works—illustrations for DownBeat magazine and Beat Jokes, Bop Humor, & Cool Cartoons—as well as the full run of his comic strip “Congressman Carter and Beat Nick Jackson” from the New York Citizen-Call and a complete edition of Color Us Cullud! itself. These illustrations are followed by annotations that frame and contextualize each of the coloring book’s entries. The book closes with selections from Brath’s art and political thinking via archival material and samples of his written work. Ultimately, this volume captures and restores a unique perspective on the civil rights movement often omitted from the historiography but vital to understanding its full scope.

When the Word is Given

When the Word is Given
Author: Louis E. Lomax
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2023-11-09
Genre: History
ISBN:

Louis E. Lomax's book, 'When the Word is Given', delves into the important intersection of civil rights movements and the power of communication. Lomax's literary style is highly engaging, weaving together compelling narratives and thought-provoking analysis. Set within the backdrop of the Civil Rights Era in the United States, the book provides a deep exploration of the role of rhetoric and language in shaping social change and challenging systems of oppression. Lomax expertly navigates through the historical context of this tumultuous period, offering insights into the power dynamics at play. Readers will find themselves immersed in the transformative journey of individuals and communities striving for justice and equality. Louis E. Lomax, a prominent figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, brings a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to his writing. His unique perspective and passion for social justice drive the narrative forward, making 'When the Word is Given' a must-read for anyone interested in the power of words in movements for social change. This book comes highly recommended for scholars, activists, and anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.

Forgotten African American Firsts

Forgotten African American Firsts
Author: Hans Ostrom
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2023-03-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 1440875367

This book introduces students to African-American innovators and their contributions to art, entertainment, sports, politics, religion, business, and popular culture. While the achievements of such individuals as Barack Obama, Toni Morrison, and Thurgood Marshall are well known, many accomplished African Americans have been largely forgotten or deliberately erased from the historical record in America. This volume introduces students to those African Americans whose successes in entertainment, business, sports, politics, and other fields remain poorly understood. Dr. Charles Drew, whose pioneering research on blood transfusions saved thousands of lives during World War II; Mae Jemison, an engineer who in 1992 became the first African American woman to travel in outer space; and Ethel Waters, the first African American to star in her own television show, are among those chronicled in Forgotten African American Firsts. With nearly 150 entries across 17 categories, this book has been carefully curated to showcase the inspiring stories of African Americans whose hard work, courage, and talent have led the course of history in the United States and around the world.