Building The Great Society by Joshua Zeitz

BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY by Joshua Zeitz has been a real treat to read. I truly enjoyed seeing some of the “behind the scenes” politics and “wheeling and dealing” necessary to make change in the 1960’s.  This is a fascinating, if somewhat biased, look at the challenges, accomplishments, and social justice values associated with LBJ’s Great Society and War on Poverty. One cannot help but contrast the described events with those in Washington, D.C. today. Zeitz notes that “LBJ’s early success [was] owed in part to his mastery of legislative strategy, equally fundamental were the efforts of advocacy groups … [and] Johnson benefited from a deep well of public support….” Amazingly, Johnson made 87 legislative requests in 1965, 84 were passed.  The efforts of Johnson and his staff resulted in transformative programs like Medicare, Head Start, and funding for education and the arts, including PBS/NPR. In addition to passing The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, they addressed immigration reform. Many familiar names (Joseph Califano, Jack Valenti, Bill Moyers, Abe Fortas, Sargent Shriver and so on) appear in Zeitz’s highly readable and narrative account. Extensively researched and footnoted, BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY aptly recalls a more hopeful, productive time in American history.

March - Book One by John Lewis

Just reading award-winning MARCH by John Lewis in order to prepare for our book group later this upcoming week.  Julie has done a fantastic job of pulling together all kinds of resources about Lewis, MARCH and the Civil Rights Movement. Democratic protest occurred again today - the photo above is an aerial view of the Women's March in Chicago where it was estimated that 250,000 attended, joining others all around the world.

Scout Comes Home

 

Next Tuesday, Scout, the beloved character in To Kill a Mockingbird, does indeed come home. The setting is the mid-1950s and she is a 26 year old adult returning to Maycomb, Alabama from New York City in Go Set a Watchman, the first published novel in 55 years from Harper Lee.  Over roughly twenty minutes, you can read the first chapter in print (or listen to Reese Witherspoon read it online) from today’s Wall Street Journal. That excerpt features a new character, Henry Clinton, and shares some sad news about her brother, Jem.  

Wait – Wall Street Journal? Yes, publisher Harper Collins and the newspaper known as the daily diary of the American dream are both owned by News Corp. From a marketing perspective, it is stimulating to see this tie-in and read about some of the early sales figures. The preorder sales for the hardcover of Go Set a Watchman are outselling the digital edition by two-to-one.  Harper Collins’ CEO Brian Murray says that is the opposite of what a publisher typically experiences with a new novel. Clearly, readers want to be able to share and discuss Watchman.

Go Set a Watchman is interesting, too, because it was written so long ago and has been described as only “lightly edited.” The references in that excerpted first chapter to airplane travel fears, train porters and women’s roles (“Don’t argue with a man....Smile a lot....Tell him how wonderful he is and wait on him.”) take us to a time both different from our own and from the time filled with the Depression era rural poverty that we associate with Scout as a child in To Kill a Mockingbird.  I am curious to read more.

While waiting for the new novel, I did read The Mockingbird Next Door by Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills.  That work of non-fiction explains how Mills came to meet and to become friends with the Lee sisters during the early 2000’s.  While there is quite a bit of Mills’ own story involved, this work also gives an insight into the independent spirit and personality of Nelle Harper Lee.  Mills obviously looks upon her with great affection. So, too, does Roy Hoffman who reminisced recently in this Op-Ed piece for the New York Times.  

This summer, I hope you find a chance to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird or to explore further in The Mockingbird Next Door. And be sure to let us know your reaction to Go Set a Watchman.  If you miss the midnight release (remember those July Harry Potter birthday parties?), we have ordered several copies; they will be ready for check-out once school starts. And thanks to Deborah for the reminder that we will also have eBook copies available through our OverDrive collection (login on the library's home page).