Joseph Crespino Livres

Set in the 1960s, the narrative explores Mississippi's role as a hub of white southern resistance to the civil-rights movement, contrasting the state's violent, authoritarian image with the self-perception of its white residents. This community held a compelling vision of their identity and place within America, which ultimately positioned them as significant contributors to Ronald Reagan's Republican Party by 1980, showcasing the complexities of regional politics and societal change.

The narrative follows Strom Thurmond, who, guided by his father's advice on skill and integrity, navigates a tumultuous political landscape. As one of the last race-baiting demagogues of the South, he rises to become a significant player in national conservative politics alongside figures like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. The book explores his complex legacy and the impact of his controversial career on American political history.

Who was the real Atticus Finch? A prize-winning historian reveals the man behind the legend The publication of Go Set a Watchman in 2015 forever changed how we think about Atticus Finch. Once seen as a paragon of decency, he was reduced to a small-town racist. How are we to understand this transformation? In Atticus Finch, historian Joseph Crespino draws on exclusive sources to reveal how Harper Lee's father provided the central inspiration for each of her books. A lawyer and newspaperman, A. C. Lee was a principled opponent of mob rule, yet he was also a racial paternalist. Harper Lee created the Atticus of Watchman out of the ambivalence she felt toward white southerners like him. But when a militant segregationist movement arose that mocked his values, she revised the character in To Kill a Mockingbird to defend her father and to remind the South of its best traditions. A story of family and literature amid the upheavals of the twentieth century, Atticus Finch is essential to understanding Harper Lee, her novels, and her times.