Cheap Fight Against Fear: Southern Jews and Black Civil Rights (Book) (Clive Webb) Price

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Customer Reviews of Fight Against Fear: Southern Jews and Black Civil Rights

Beyond the Black/White Paradigm
Every University and college library in the United States should have a copy of this important book. Building off of the pioneering work of scholars such as Leonard Dinnerstein and Mark Bauman, Clive Webb's _Fight Against Fear_ is a major contribution to our understanding of both Jewish history and race relations in the United States. His footnotes and bibliography reveal an immense amount of research. He has visited at least twenty archives in numerous states. His analysis is as impressive as his research. Throughout the text, he portrays Jews in the South in all of their complexity. Some were outright racists who defended segregation vociferously. Others were brave citizens who fought for black civil rights even in the face of terrorism and personal danger. Still others negotiated a delicate balance between both extremes because of their uncertain place within the Southern social order. Southern Jewish life during the Civil Rights movement has never been so fully and so richly portrayed. This nuanced portrait also helps expand our understanding of race in the United States. Historians of the American South have longed envisioned their region in black and white. Professor Webb reveals that ethnicity among "whites" is an important category of analysis below the Mason-Dixon line. Those interested in Jewish history, the American South, and race relations in the twentieth century will want to buy this book.

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A Strong and Important Contribution to the Literature
Webb offers the reader a much more nuanced and well documented analysis than previous scholars. His chapter on gender is a particularly strong contribution. It is to date the definitive work on Black and Jewish relations! In fact, anyone interested in ethnic relations cannot afford to miss this.

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A Fascinating Look at Ethnic Minority Status
I disagree with the reader from Madison. This book adds substantially to our understanding of southern Jews since it is more balanced and nuanced than some of the stereotypical characterization that exists in much of the literature. Readers interested in a thoughtful analysis of how an ethnic minority struggled in a politically dangerous environment should consult this book.