5 comments about Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness.

1. Williamsburg County had an unbelievable amount of violence, in both variety and magnitude, in such a short period of time. In less than fifty years this one county had labor wars, Ku Klux Klan wars, gang wars, and one of the worst feuds in American history. Paul Angle is a good writer, but that is only an added benefit. Reading the media accounts of these events would be fascinating enough. Anyone interested in a case study of a dysfunctional community should read this book.



2. While working near Marion, Illinois (Williamson County) in the winter of 2002 and spring of 2003 I was (at first) completely unaware of the history of the area. Finding that I was a history lover, a co-worker, native to the area, told me about "the troubles" and recommended this book. I quickly decided that Bloody Williamson was one of the better books I had ever read concerning this violent era in American history. While reading the book, I rode over many of the roads and visited as many of the old sites as I could find.



3. This is a true gem, which depicts the violent history of a rural southern county in Illinois. The author tells of organized labor, bootleggers, gangs and the KKK of the 1920s in Williamson County, Illinois. Angle writes in any easy format for most readers and his book is well indexed. I would highly recommend this book to all readers!
   
   Mike Koch, author of "The Kimes Gang."



4. If you are a history buff, you will almost certainly enjoy this book immensely as I did. It tells the incredible but little known story of one of the most violent chapters in U.S. history. In fact, some historians believe that the gangs of Williamson County were the most dangerous and violent gangs in U.S. History. Paul Angle does a wonderful job of telling this fascinating story which covers a period of about 50 years. I was particularly interested in it because my father lived through it. He lived in Marion, Illinois at the time and the Sheriff who plays a large part in the book was the father of his best friend. He also personally witnessed some of the things mentioned in the book. My father is 99 years old now and he still remembers it all clearly. But even without that personal connection to the story of Williamson County, I would have been just as fascinated.
   
   I was amazed when reading the review by Alan Mills. How could someone get the most basic facts presented in the book so wrong? He claims that the mine owner hired thugs who killed the miners when, in fact, the mine owner hired guards and non-union miners to work the mines and the union miners killed them! And the "thugs" did not hang around because they were dead! Also, Williamson is a county not a town. Another reviewer guessed that Alan had just read the back cover but he couldn't have even done that based on his "review."



5. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, Williamson County, Illinois became a byword for lawlessness. The county first came to nationwide attention in the 1870s, when a bloody feud, comparable to the worst that the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee had to offer, wracked the area. Then in the 1920s, the town was beset by union and Ku Klux Klan violence to a shocking degree. Indeed, the rest of the country, and even the rest of the world was appalled at the violence, and the townspeople who condoned it.
   
   This is a wonderfully interesting book. The author does an excellent job of bringing bloody Williamson to life, and showing it in all its lack of glory. This tale of union murderers and KKK hoodlums (often the same people) is sure to shock you, and make you very glad that you didn't live then and there!
   
   I highly recommend this book!

1 comments about Working.

1. This book touched my heart. Especially "Fathers and Sons". I felt inspired. I perfomed in the Musical it was one of the best memories I will ever have.I suggest this book because of its touching peices, and its hilarious moments. This book will give you a sense of how real people really feel about what they do. They sure took the words right out of my mouth. In the words of Mike, "Every one should have something to point to"(from the musical WORKING) And in the words of Ralph "Thank you very much" (also from the musical WORKING"

5 comments about Learning to Labor: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs.

1. I thought this book was very outdated and hard to read because of the English accent Willis uses. The research was OK but a little bias against working class ( poor and broke)kids.



2. I came to Dr. Willis's Learning To Labor as a Ph.D. student at York University, Toronto. I was profoundly moved both theoretically and personally. Willis gives us a theoretical way of articulating macro and micro perspectives which shows how the two arise in dialectical fashion, e.g. class determines the working class lives of the lads through the very choices of the lads themselves! It was, and still is, a brilliant insight and contribution in relation to ongoing discussions of structure/agency and the whole question of determinism. Dr. Willis's work also touched base with my own life. I grew up in a cotton mill town in South Carolina. The local school was closely tied to the local manufacturing plants and the surrounding working-class, both in the fields and the mills. I saw the life of the lads as nearly identical with the life of the white, working class kids that I went to school with. Most of my high school friends saw going to college as a "waste of time" and for "sissies". Real work required real men! Most ended up in the local cotton mills. Many of these young men had promising lives that could have been realized, but at those structural moments choices were made that reproduced the local working-class. I have since written my own ethnographic work (Native Americans in the Carolina Borderlands: A Critical Ethnography, Carolinas Press, 2000) and I have to say that Dr. Willis's work was always a big help and resource for thinking through the relationship between reproduction and resistance. A must read for anyone on the verge of ethnographic research and for the general reader as well.



3. I use Willis' work every semester in my graduate level educational research methods class. It is one of first and
   most influential efforts to bring together a marxist focus on macro-social dynamics, a symbolic interactionist focus on micro-social interactions, and a phenomenological focus on individual consicousness into a single study of class reproduction. It is a classic in every sense.



4. This book is apparently a classic in the fields of cultural studies and ethnography, and I agree that it's certainly one of the stronger examples of the form. This study by Paul Willis, which was conducted in the 70s, is certainly free of the political correctness and obsession with romanticizing other cultures that later polluted the field and drained its credibility. Willis' study on working class kids in England and the issues they face in joining the workforce can be seen as interesting in itself, as such issues were surely overlooked by lofty academics before and since. Especially rewarding is Willis' method of actually making himself a believable member of a group of lower class boys at school and then following them into the industrial workforce after graduation. This adds an immense amount of credibility to the study.

   This particular subject matter is surely outdated, even in England itself as the education system there has (mostly) moved away from a focus on dividing kids by class, then doing nothing for the 'problem' kids but preparing them for menial jobs in industry. However, there is much to think about concerning the larger issues that Willis raises, especially the rigid tendencies of the class system (not just in England), and the methods used by those at the bottom to cope with a system they probably will not be able to get out of. The 'analysis' section of the book gets a bit sluggish as Willis performs the required ivory-tower application of theories to the findings he collected while sojourning with the working class kids. The predictable treatise on Marxist theories of labor and capital gets especially tiresome, though otherwise Willis still manages to keep the theory section mostly interesting, as he builds on crucial insights into class structures and the dark side of industrial society. All this from hanging with a bunch of rowdy and potty-mouthed British schoolkids. ...




5. i still not receive this item, i have wait for a month already!!

5 comments about Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.

1. Citing Winston Churchill, who said America always did the right thing after it had exhausted all the alternatives, the New Commission on Skills of the American Workforce calls for a complete overhaul of American education.
   
   Unlike the Commission Report in 1990, which recommended that we improve our high technology skills and accept as inevitable the movement of low-skill jobs to global competitors, the current Commission draws our attention to the fact that we are losing high-skill jobs to global competitors as well. Such losses are projected to grow geometrically if we fail to act with an integrated whole system response.
   
   The Commission recommends a major overhaul of American education to include how we define needs, develop curriculum, attract and retain world class teachers, focus scarce resources, assess stakeholders, and finance public education. All familiar words, I know, but the devil or angel, if you will, is in the details. Let's look at some of the most important.
   
   Noting the poor scores made by U.S. students on international tests and the prospect that we will lose our leadership position in fields that require exemplary abilities in mathematical reasoning; scientific concepts; writing; creativity and innovation; self-discipline and organization; and teamwork, the Commission calls for regional economic development authorities. These authorities would be responsible for coordinating with existing institutions to develop goals and strategies that would serve as guides for local decisions and channel resources where initiatives contributed to the achievement of such goals and strategies.
   
   The Commission calls for significant changes in school governance. School boards and districts would find their role focused on policy making, facilitation of educational networks, operation of support service centers, reporting, and writing performance contracts with those who operate the schools. Schools would be operated by independent contractors and would have complete discretion to determine spending, staffing, calendar, organization and management ---- all subject to the same safety, curriculum, and testing standards as other schools. States would recruit and train teachers; build standard curriculum and assessment agencies; investigate, review and approve networks; contract for special services; and develop statewide schools to serve gifted children.
   
   Teachers would be employed and licensed by the state. Their compensation would shift from current practices, which are back-loaded to emphasize pensions and defined health care benefits, to one which is front-loaded to emphasize cash compensation. Under a front-loaded approach, pay for beginning teachers would be $45,000. Competent academic-year teachers could receive $95,000 and competent calendar-year teachers as high as $110,000. In addition, incentive pay would be paid to teachers willing to teach in remote areas, tough urban areas, and in fields with labor shortages like math, science, language, and special education. The objective of all these changes is to recruit, develop, and retain individuals who had graduated from the top third of their high school graduation classes.
   
   To discover where much of the money is coming from to pay for these changes, you have to examine their recommendation in the area of assessment. Essentially, the Commission wants to shift American education from a system that is time-based to one that is based on merit, using Board Examinations to control progression. They would allow high school students to sit for the initial board examinations at the end of their sophomore year. If they score well enough, they will be allowed to begin a two-year technical training program or to enter a four-year degree program. Those who scored less well would remain to prepare for the second board examination which, when passed, would allow them to attend a state college or university. Neither progression would permit remediation at the next highest level. In short, no one would be allowed to progress unless they are ready and no one would be held back based on a scheme that honors time more than it does competence. The Commission expects this progression scheme to save $67 billion.
   
   In addition to teacher compensation, the Commission would spend part of the savings on high-quality, universal early childhood education for three and four year olds. Supplemental funding would be made available to help schools with high concentrations of disadvantaged students, e.g. screening and diagnosis, tutoring; community involvement, etc. School financing would be a state, rather than a local matter. And the state would use a uniform funding formula that emphasizes equity over equality. New Federal money would be sought to fund interest-bearing Personal Competitiveness Accounts. These accounts would be funded by the Federal government with a $500 deposit at birth and annual contributions made to age 16. The fund would accept tax-free contributions from employers, states, and individuals. From these funds, individuals could draw to improve their education and skills as adults.
   
   Reactions from the educational establishment have been mixed. Predictably, all favor high-quality universal education for three and four year olds and for injections of more money into the educational system. No one, however, wants to support recommendations that would require substantial changes for their membership. The National Education Association (NEA) doesn't want to support the shift in compensation because their current membership favors back-loaded systems. Neither the NEA nor the National School Boards Association wants to give up local funding and operation of schools. Finally, the National Association for College Admission Counseling cautions against using Board Examinations if they are built on the foundation of European models.
   
   All stakeholders need to realize that the situation has deteriorated to such a point that anything less than a major transformation of American education risks being characterized as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. As the Commission emphasizes, this is not a set of recommendations to be cherry-picked. Instead, they require a thoughtful, soul searching reflection and authentic dialogue to meet the challenges that are quickly coming into view.



2. This book by the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce is well written in clear terms with summaries and simple graphics. It is a must read for anyone interested in the future of the US economy. The Commission points out the risks of our poor pre-university education to the US economy. India and China are now competing with the US in the high skilled labor market (not just low skilled) and at lower wages. With the Internet, many jobs can be done anywhere, and companies will hire the best at the lowest cost (Indian engineers make $7500 annually with the same qualifications as US engineers who make $45,000).
   
   The Commission describes how US universities continue to be the best in the world, but grade schools and high schools have fallen behind. In the 20th century the US pioneered universal education, and received an influx of talent, from scientists fleeing Germany before World War II to a more recent influx of Asian students, who stayed and worked here. But now, other countries have passed us in pre-university education and many foreign students are going back to their own countries after graduating.
   
   "A Nation at Risk" came out in 1983, saying "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre education performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war." The Tough Choices Commission points out that since then we've had a more than doubling of spending on education (inflation adjusted) with only modest improvement. The Commission concludes that the main improvement, standards testing, turns out to be misguided because it is multiple choice, not essay, and thus doesn't teach the creative, out of the box thinking needed for the US to maintain its lead. Multiple choice tests are by definition "in the box" tests.
   
   "A Nation at Risk" proposals in 1983 for merit pay for teachers were resisted, and teachers continue to come from the bottom 1/3 of University graduates. The Commission proposes merit pay for new teachers, with an opt-in choice for existing teachers, combined with higher salaries made possible by eliminating pensions and using 401Ks instead, like other professions. Other proposals include universal pre-school, school choice with funding following students, less bureaucracy and more independence for individual schools, adult education coordinated with the business community, and inter-city schools and supporting social services being coordinated under one person, such as the mayor. Finally, partial funding can be found by reducing the number of students in the last 2 years of high school by allowing board testing at the 10th grade, with those passing going to community college then a university, directly to trade school, or directly to work.
   
   I have separately read that having funding follow the student to encourage competition among schools has been implemented successfully at the city level in San Francisco. The Commission shows that if pensions and vacation time are included, current teacher salaries are actually somewhat competitive. But talented young people prefer money now, and don't know that they would stay in teaching long enough to earn a pension. Thus, pension money could be moved to up front salary and portable 401Ks, with existing teachers having the option of opting in or staying with their pensions.
   
   The proposal to coordinate social services with schooling to help the disadvantaged, such as by putting all under a mayor has been done in New York recently, with great success. By providing programs for kids until 5 PM, and help to their families, the disadvantages of a poor home situation can be addressed. The US economy is healthy because of the waves of immigration it has had over the past 15 years, and we can't afford not to train those immigrants so our business have a talented labor pool to draw on.
   
   The board exams proposed at the end of the 10th grade will provide badly needed motivation to students, since they can get out of school earlier if they work harder, rather than marking time.
   
   To cut bureaucracy, the commission proposed principals be given free reign on how to spend the money they get (which is based on the number of students). Also, school boards would not run schools, but would contract with others (such as private companies, groups of teachers, etc.). The school boards would then become performance contract managers.
   
   Finally, the report proposes training of people in the workforce, since these people will be the largest part of our workforce for some time, and will need more advanced and creative skills.



3. This is an interesting and important document from a group who have had considerable influence on education policy. My largest disagreement is the emphasis on external testing rather than classroom assessment. Good art and music teachers both teach and assess creativty. There is no external test for this ability; whose importance is emphasized in the report.



4. One of the best, if not the best book I have seen on the state of education in the USA. It should be a wake-up call to educators and parents, grandparents, and anyone who is interested in the continued growth of our country. Clear, concise, and well written by well respected people in the field of education and commerce. If you want to know the real reason the job market is in such a state, and where our schools are headed, read this. I do research on these issues and this is the best so far.



5. The proposals of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce are an insidious seduction to the implementation of Marxism, both in theory and in practice. The report, entitled TOUGH CHOICE OR TOUGH TIMES throws only two possibilities our way: Either we resign ourselves to "continued decline in wages with very long working hours," or we completely revamp or entire educational system by adopting "internationally benchmarked standards for educating [our] students and [our] workers."
   
   At one time, the purpose of education was to accumulate knowledge, and to gain an understanding of the world around us. Not anymore. Now the purpose of education in the United States is exactly the same as the purpose of education in Marxist regimes: to supply a government-orchestrated workforce that is designed by the State and for the State. Our children are no longer our children; they are now designated by the State as "global citizens." The goal of education is to ensure that each citizen lives his life in total submission to the State. Here are some excerpts from the report:
   
   "Our first step is creating a set of Board Examinations... ...Students who score well enough will be guaranteed the right to go to their community college to begin a program leading to a two-year technical degree or a two-year program designed to enable the student to transfer later into a four-year state college... ...assuming they do well enough on their second set of Board exams, they can go off to a selective college or university..."
   
   "Many of our teachers are superb. But we have for a long time gotten better teachers than we deserved because of the limited opportunities for women and minorities in our workforce. Those opportunities are far wider now, and we are left with the reality that we are now recruiting more and more of our teachers from the bottom third of the high school students going to college than is wise. To succeed, we must recruit many more from the top third."
   
   Do you see the racism and gender bias here? Now we have to revamp the system. (This will also ensure that the elite of our new Marxist society will be socially engineered by those presently in power.) Read on:
   
   "We would have teachers employed by the state, not the local districts, on a statewide salary schedule... ...The current policies regarding teacher education would be scrapped. The state would create a new Teacher Development Agency charged with recruiting, training, and certifying teachers. The state would launch national recruiting campaigns, allocate slots for training the needed number of teachers... ...then the task will be to create instructional materials fashioned in the same spirit and train our teachers to use the standards, assessments, syllabi, and materials as well as possible..."
   
   The State will decide what jobs will be available and then train only a select number of people to fill those jobs. Freedom of choice is a thing of the past. The State is self-serving and has a conflict of interest when it comes to education. Here is a perfect example: Have you ever wondered why our literacy rates are so low in the U.S.? Here is the reason according to this report:
   
   "The governance, organizational, and management scheme of American schools was created in the early years of the 20th century to match the industrial organization of the time. It was no doubt appropriate for an era when most work required relatively low literacy levels...and efficiency of a rather mechanical sort was the highest value of the system."
   
   So the "dumbing down" of American students was part of a management scheme. Now we are supposed to trust these same managers with a new management scheme. Schools would no longer be owned by the local school district. Instead, the local districts would be responsible for connecting the schools to "a wide range of social services," like psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, etc. Our kids are all sick, you know. And guess what is in store for disadvantaged kids:
   
   "The additional funds for serving schools with high concentrations of disadvantaged students will make it possible for those schools to stay open from early in the morning until late at night, offering a wide range of supportive services to the students and their families. They will have the funds needed to screen and diagnose their students.... ...and the state Teacher Development Agencies will be charged with making a special effort to recruit first-rate teachers for our minority children who look like them and can connect with these children."
   
   The report previously implied that minority teachers were inferior. Now we will assign these "first-rate" teachers to minority kids. And what about the option of private education? It looks like that will be abolished at the first opportunity:
   
   "A system that pursues the wrong goals more efficiently is not a system this country needs. ...No organization could operate a school that was not affiliated with a helping organization of the state, unless the school was itself such an organization."
   
   This report also proposes that the State invest in high-quality education for three and four year olds. Let's get these kids away from from the influence of their parents at the earliest possible time.
   
   Whenever we hear the words "educational reform," this is what the educators are talking about. It is reform that envisions a peaceful overthrow of our present way of life by educational means, in favor of a Marxist regime run by the ruling elite--the high priests of education. Education today is all about training the workforce that will serve the elite of tomorrow.

No comments about Getting the Goods: Ports, Labor, and the Logistics Revolution.

No comments about Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War.

5 comments about The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It.

1. Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter's groundbreaking book debunks myths about burnout and holds organizations accountable for this epidemic, which has swept the work world. The authors detail how organizations can treat and prevent burnout, and take a critical look at its deep-rooted causes, including lack of engagement and conflict between employees' values and their jobs. Conversationally and with great impact, the authors support their points and suggestions. We recommend this book to executives, managers and employees. Now go home and get some rest.



2. tretise on what most of us already know about bureauracracies. I've not finished reading the "what to do about it." yet, but already know my first questions when contemplating a new job will be "How many people were fired or quit in the past 6-9 months?"



3. Christina Maslach is well-known in psychology as the person who has championed the problem of burnout over more than two decades. For quite a time she was something of a lone voice.
   
   Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic physical, emotional and interpersonal stressors at work, leading to exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy. In a memorable term the authors describe it as erosion of the soul.
   
   Burnout has to be seen in the larger organizational context of people's relationship with their work: it's usually the job and the organization rather than the individual, although there are clearly differences in individuals' resilience to burnout.
   
   There are many symptoms of burnout, including trouble sleeping, constantly worrying, feeling unappreciated or "used" at work and feeling less effective or competent. Many people find that they easily becoming angry or irritated and altogether too many start drinking or abusing other substances.
   
   Burnout is immensly costly, not just for individuals, but also for organizations. I agree with another reviewer who lamented the paucity of data on just how costly burnout is to a company's bottom line. But judging by the number of corporations now asking epxerts to go in and help them deal with the burnout problem, I think that the message is getting through.
   
   This is an excellent overview of the problem nearly ten years ago. If anything, the situation is becoming worse, and Maslach, and now an expanding band of other psychologists has continued to do empirical research on the problem, and have been coming up with ever more sophisticated solutions.
   
   But even with the passage of time, this book remains highly recommended.



4. "The Truth about Burnout" was written a decade ago, but its analysis and recommendations may be more valid today than they were when the book was published. The first couple of chapters are a bit tedious, but the book takes off once the authors start digging into causes of burnout and laying out ways to overcome burnout.
   
   The authors describe the causes of burnout in terms of six mismatches between people and their jobs: "work overload, lack of control, insufficient reward, breakdown in community, absence of fairness, and conflicting values." These six mismatches provide a framework for developing interventions to address burnout and build employee engagement.
   
   For me, the most encouraging feature of the book is the authors' suggestion that the intervention can be bottom up as well as top down. The authors provide roadmaps for both kinds of intervention.



5. I bought it as a gift for my sister. She's graduating psychology on the subject of burnout. She said the book was very useful.

5 comments about Making of the English Working Class.

1. Buyers beware of the hardback version of E. P Thompson's classic work "The Making of the English Working Class". Firstly, note that the hardback is a 1966 edition. This means that is does not have Thompson's 1968 postscript, nor his 1980 preface (it probably also misses the author's 1968 revisions, but I have not checked this). Secondly, this is not an organically produced hardback: the picture on the cover is glued on, and the spine does not have the author's name (instead, it has the name "Peter Smith" - so who the hell is Peter Smith?). All in all, a shocker for purists, or any serious scholar, made all the worse for the magnificence of the original.



2. Thompson's book is THE ground-breaking work of social history for our century, pioneering in the "history of everyday life" (also taken up by Foucault, de Certeau, Davis, etc.); the history of working people; and the consideration of culture in the past. Unlike most other social history it is also brilliantly written and accessible. Buy it.



3. One of America's best small independent publishing houses is---Peter Smith of Gloucester, Massachusetts! The individual's name is also the name of the company, which explains the incorrect ID by the earlier reviewer.

   For many years Peter Smith (man & company) has provided reprints of essential scholarly and other works in affordable hardcover editions. The only way to continue this helpful service is by keeping production costs low, which occasionally leads to the regrettable results detailed below. The resulting profit margins are too low to interest the goliaths of the book world, but scholars and other customers (not to mention libraries with tight acquisition budgets) are profoundly grateful for what is perhaps as much a public service as a business decision. Why not order their catalog and give 'em some much-needed business? You'll probably spot other worthwhile classics....For instance, my library includes James Malin, "Grassland of North America" and Wesley Frank Craven, "Soil Exhaustion as a Factor in the Agricultural History of Virginia & Maryland," two fine early environmental histories that are virtually impossible to find apart from Peter Smith's editions.

   I hope this isn't being too hard on the earlier reviewer, but I thought the matter needed clarification. The earlier reviewer's disappointment surely reflects his admiration for EP Thompson's work, which I certainly share---it's arguably the greatest history of the 20th century.




4. Well, it took me darn near a month to finish this monster (800+ pages) of a book. Can't say I regret the experience, though. Truly , this is a masterpiece, both in terms of its substance and its approach. I could quite easily write more then a thousand words on this book, but hey, this is Amazon, right?

   Before I begin, I would like to state up front that I am not a historian or a graduate student of history. Please forgive me if my review contains incorrect statements.

   "The Making of the English Working Class" is precisely what its (awkward) title describes: a history of the developments leading to the emergence of the modern industrial working class in England (and Scotland, sort of. Wales and Ireland are excluded, although Irish immigrants living in England to figure in some parts of the book). The time period covered is roughly the 1790's to the 1840's. Thompson starts with a description of "Dissent", discusses the influence of the French Revolution on that tradition (Dissent), spends a good chunk of the book describing the effect of the industrial revolution on the lives and lifestyles of the workers in industrial England, and then spends an equal amount of time describing the reaction of the workers and their leaders to this adjustment in circumstances.

   Along the way, Thompson takes a hatchet to historians on the left, right, and center. His section on the change in circumstances of the workers in England is most critical of writers like F.A. Hayek, i.e. those writers who try to say that the industrial revolution "wasn't that bad" or "wasn't bad at all" for the workers. He devotes a good part of Part II of the book to attacking the methods of statistical or economic history. His preference is to use documentary evidence of the time. In this way, the book (published in the 60's) is a forerunner of historical "postmodernism"(Oh, please forgive me for the term), where authors abandon "objective" evidence (economic statistics) in favor of "subjective" evidence (pamphlets, letters and newspapers).

   I guess that's hardly a revolutinary arguement now-a-day, but back then, I can hardly imagine.
   His section on the reaction of workers to the industrial revolution is rather more critical to historians of the left and center, who sought to discount the violence associated with the Luddite movement as somehow unrepresentative of the working class movement in England. Thompson's revisionist history of the Luddite movement is a tour de force. Really, it's breathtaking.

   In my opinion, the book kind of loses steam after that section. Thompson has some harsh words for the London based "leaders" of the workers movement, and I felt his discussion of Owenism left too much to the readers imagination. I don't suppose this book was meant for someone with only a loose grounding in English history, but none the less, that's what I have, so I'm just stuck.

   To the extent that I have anything critical to say about this book, it's that Thompson at times presupposes a graduate level education in English history. I haven't read AJP Taylor or Hayek or any of the other authors Thompson attacks. IN the end, though, I felt like it didn't hurt my enjoyment of this book. I would highly recommend it, although you should set aside a good chunk of time to make your way from beginning to end.




5. An Indispensable Classic that will be of interest to anyone interested in how the"modern" world has come about.

No comments about Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice.

2 comments about Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery.

1. Slavery is often seen as a historical issue - but in fact human bondage is very prevalent today, as ENSLAVED shows with its collection of slave narratives written by both past and current slaves and slaveholders from Asia, Africa, the Mid-East and the U.S. 21st century human bondage isn't a common topic but it will prove a unique and involving one for any high school to college-level course in social issues.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. This book is edited by Jesse Sage and one other author. The forward was written by Gloria Steinem, not the whole book.
   
   The book contains different chapters written by people who were either held in slavery or were slave owners. There is a chapter about an American girl who was abducted and abused as a young teenager. I have researched this topic for three years and I have not come across an account as disturbing as hers. The fact that her abuse occurred within the U.S. and wasn't noticed/stopped by anyone else (especially hospital staff) is alarming. Her story bridges the gap between what is called "prostitution" when it happens in the U.S. and "trafficking" when it occurs elsewhere. The descriptions of her abuse are alarming. Read her account only if you are prepared to keep each detail with you forever.
   
   I recommend "Enslaved" because it describes and categorizes the different types of slavery that are occurring. A plus is that the accounts are written by the people affected by slavery in some form and not sensationalist journalists. Evocative and informative.