At the vanguard of the study of race and labor in American history; David R. Roediger is the author of the now-classic The Wages of Whiteness; a study of racism in the development of a white working class in nineteenth-century America. In Working Toward Whiteness; he continues that history into the twentieth century. He recounts how American ethnic groups considered white today-including Jewish-; Italian-; and Polish-Americans-once occupied a confused racial status in their new country. They eventually became part of white America thanks to the nascent labor movement; New Deal reforms; and a rise in home-buying. From ethnic slurs to racially restrictive covenants--the racist real estate agreements that ensured all-white neighborhoods--Roediger explores the murky realities of race in twentieth-century America. A masterful history by an award-winning writer; Working Toward Whiteness charts the strange transformation of these new immigrants into the "white ethnics" of America today.
#328054 in Books Serhii Plokhy 2015-06-02 2015-06-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.50 x 5.50l; .0 #File Name: 0465046711544 pagesThe Last Empire The Final Days of the Soviet Union
Review
68 of 71 people found the following review helpful. A study worthy of Pulitzer consideration.By Patrick M. BlackburnSimply put; this is a stunning book. It's not every day an author is able to rewrite history; and do so credibly. When I read; on the inside cover; the following sentence: "...the collapse of the Soviet Union was anything but the handiwork of the United States;" I feared that it was going to attempt to diminish the role the U.S. played. On the contrary. I have read about 20 books on the subject and this is one of the best accounts of US-Russia relations from 1980-present (Hoffman's "The Dead Hand" is another). After reading "The Last Empire;" I have a greater appreciation of the actions George Bush (HW) took (and accomplished) during this time. The significant impact of Secretary of State George Schultz was revealing as well.Plokhy takes you right into private meetings all over the world during a six-month period in 1991. From the unbelievably tense meetings between Yeltsin and Gorbachev; to meetings by leaders of former Soviet states (namely Ukraine; Kazakhstan; and Belarus) about the nature of the role they will play in this new world; there is no shortage of intrigue in "The Last Empire".This book is not only for those who are interested in the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union. The timing; with what is currently happening in that part of the world this book; is perfect. The author is an expert on Ukranian affairs (he is director of the Ukranian Research Institute at Harvard University) and spends a lot of time discussing Ukraine's (significant) role in the breakup of the Soviet Union. He even spends time on Crimea; which makes this book as relevant today as it was 25 years ago; if not more so. After reading "The Last Empire;" I feel like I have a much better understanding of what (Putin's) Russia is trying to do (which doesn't make it any less disturbing). Whether you are interested in 1991 Russia; 2014 Russia; or both; "The Last Empire" absolutely must be added to your library. You won't be sorry.11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Heroic StoryBy Peter G. TsourasAs an analyst of Soviet affairs for the U.S. Government; I worked the events surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union from the Washington end. This book brought all of those world-shaking events back to life. I particularly remember how awestruck I was to see on TV the Red Banner of the Soviet Union falling from its flagpole in the Kremlin to be replaced with the Russian pre-Revolutionary white; blue; and red flag. I wish we had known one tenth of what this book describes. The author is correct when he asserts that the US was not the prime mover in the destruction of the Soviet Union. The Russian and Ukrainian peoples freed themselves. What the US did was hold the communist beast at bay for forty years while its own contradictions rotted it from within. When Yeltsin banned the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) after the August 1991 coup; no one came to its defense. It was already as dead as Lenin';s mummy. I could not put this book down. The tale of peoples freeing themselves is simply heroic.17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Very good book to understand modern events and the history leading up to themBy Jim CThis book is recommended for the following reasons:1. It is not written by an American - making the books perspective and content more interesting. I.e. too many books on this subject written by Americans claim the US won the cold war by vanquising the evil empire. It was far more complicated....2. The subject is remarkable - relative to other states/empires; the end of the USSR was "remarkably" peaceful. I was fascianted by how the "soviet" system. politically; functioned in this very difficult time with less violence occurring compared to other staes and empires when they collasped. (Chechans and other small regional conflicts would argue otherwise but consider the potential for more widespread violence).3. This book has excellant coverage on how Ukaine was created - including a Russian majority Crimea and eastern Ukraine - and why this was not a major issue in 1992-1994 when the USSR came apart - the coverage for this subject alone makes this book highly recommended.4. The discussion of the time frame covered in this book as a collapse of an empire - and the motivations of the different ethnic groups and leadership within the former soviet union.Overall a great book; despite sections were tedious to read.
