|
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin | 
| Author: John D'emilio
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.00
Buy New: $16.50
You Save: $5.50 (25%)
Rating:  7 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 592
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 6 x 1.6
ISBN: 0226142698
Dewey Decimal Number: 323.092
EAN: 9780226142692
ASIN: 0226142698
Publication Date: October 1, 2004
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
One of the most important figures of the American civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin taught Martin Luther King Jr. the methods of Gandhi, spearheaded the 1963 March on Washington, and helped bring the struggle of African Americans to the forefront of a nation's consciousness. But despite his incontrovertibly integral role in the movement, the openly gay Rustin is not the household name that many of his activist contemporaries are. In exploring history's Lost Prophet, acclaimed historian John D'Emilio explains why Rustin's influence was minimized by his peers and why his brilliant strategies were not followed, or were followed by those he never meant to help.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 A Complex Pacifist March 31, 2008
J. Kelly (Boston, MA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Visionary." "Inspirational." "Controversial." "Black." "Gay." These are some of the many words used as description for Bayard Rustin in Lost Prophet: the Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D'Emilio. He was a nonviolent civil rights activist who firmly believed in the effectiveness of this approach and, despite all of the challenges he faced, was impervious to setbacks - though he had many of them. The author portrays Rustin as one of the unsung heroes of the twentieth century and as an instrumental player in promoting racial equality who is often forgotten and lost in the shuffle of history. This biography is a testament to all that he accomplished; trying in earnest to ensure that his name and impact is no longer overlooked.
Long before the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960's, Rustin was deeply involved in promoting equality through the means of non-violence. Raised a Quaker the ideals of pacifism were well embedded in his philosophies that it was only after joining forces with other pacifists, like A.J. Muste, that they together formed several successful organizations. Though his participation in these associations, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), was impressive it was his personal efforts that were most notable. In the 1942 while on a bus he decided to move to the white section; a decision that resulted in violence he refused to react to and imprisonment.
As an African-American, a homosexual, a former communist, conscientious objector, and pacifist the challenges he faced were many. Not only was he battling the stigmas of his race, he was also battling the stigma of his sexual orientation at a time when recognition of homosexuality was minimal. One event in which he was caught in the midst of a "lewd act" nearly derailed his lifetime of work and goals. Yet, as he continually did, he overcame that seemingly insurmountable obstacle and furthered his role in the civil rights movement. He forged a strong relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr. and taught him the tenants of a nonviolent movement. As a common acquaintance Glenn Smiley said, King "knew nothing" of Ghandian pacifism before Rustin. Though he witnessed the realization of many of his goals, Rustin believed that the fight was never over. As the fight for racial equality slowed down, Rustin recognized that the next big hurdle would be the struggle for gay rights.
D'Emilio's biography of this dynamic historical character is, without a better word to describe it, impressive. For a work of non-fiction, Lost Prophet, reads much like a novel. With simple prose and elegant descriptions, D'Emilio writes a thorough account without being daunting or arduous. He effectively contextualizes Rustin's movements from decade to decade with the appropriate political, economic, and social climate. Because of this we know, for example, that his flirtation with communism in the 1930's had less to do with Stalin's ideas and more to do with the belief that capitalism could not save the floundering American economy. D'Emilio researched Rustin's life so meticulously that one of my only criticisms is that, because he was too specific and detail oriented at times, my attention wavered slightly- though I would imagine that most people would not consider careful research to be a negative.
Finishing this biography of a man I had never heard of, yet who was clearly quite influential, leaves me curious about what else I do not know. Growing up, we are told of the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the movement he lead, yet little attention is paid to the behind the scenes efforts and the other people involved. Bayard Rustin is a shining example of how popular history can have a blind-spot. And because of this, I thank John D'Emilio for writing this informative biography and for teaching me some forgotten history about the Lost Prophet.
 Excellent Reading! Dr. King Wasn't The Total Mastermind! December 19, 2006
Agie
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just finished reading this book for my class on The Civil Rights Movement. I have say this book was very good. It gave me much insight into how the movement was more complex than what I was taught in grade school. If you're one of the people like I was who thought Dr. King was the total force behind the movement, you must read this book. You will become far more educated on how much of an impact this man was not only to the Civl Rights Movement, but other endeavors as well. It is sad how easily Rustin has been tossed aside because of prejudice of all things. But this is why it is important to have books like this one that educates and informs.
Excellent biography August 5, 2005
Marty G. Price (Starkville, MS USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Rustin's story is a curious one -- how is it that a militant Quaker pacifist, a man who chose to go to prison during World War II, is found defending Lyndon Johnson's Presidency in 1968? The answer lies in the various tragedies of the '60's: the vestiges of the Cold War that shaped American policies; Johnson's ability to commit to progressive domestic policies but inability to shake free of the worst of the Cold War mentality; the triumphs and the tragic splintering of the American Civil Rights movement; and perhaps in Rustin's personal tragedy, that of a gay, black pacifist whose biggest political obstacle was not found in the radicalism of his ideas but in his attempt to live his personal life as a gay man.
D'Emilo appears to capture all those elements of Rustin, and suggests both how Rustin shaped those political movements in which he involved himself and how they served to shape him.
My students generally all are familiar with Dr. King's speech at the 1963 March on Washington. With few exceptions, however, they have never heard of the two men who planned the March: labor leader A.P. Randolph and Rustin. D'Emilo's book serves to remind us of just how much an injustice it is that Rustin's role in the Civil Rights movement has been so much forgotten.
Anything ahead of the times has a hard time in its own time December 8, 2004
Robin Orlowski (United States)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Like many other people, I had not learned that 1963 March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin was also homosexual. Because Rustin lived in a time when homosexuality was stigmatized (and march organizers had believed public recognition of his homosexuality was not 'respectable' Rustin had to keep this portion of his life hidden in order to have impact at this event.
Rustin complied with the now-unthinkable directive because social justice had always been a passion.
Rustin's Quaker upbringing influenced his passion for social justice. In college, he became an organizer for the Young Communist League; he later quit when they advocated World War II participation. Rustin's strong sense of morality would not allow him to enlist in World War II, he believed that a sentence in the federal prison system was the only moral option.
Rustin began freedom riding with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) as early as the 1940's. Although these people were ahead of their time on many issues, they could not accept his sexuality. Rustin later found employment with the War Resisters League (which in that era at least stayed neutral on the issue) but the experience undoubtedly stayed with him.
Fortunately, Rustin was able to later come out in the 1970's. Until his death he was open about his identity as a gay man. Discrimination was the problem, not his sexuality.
Today, we continue to see inadvertent consequences from the earlier decision to minimize Rustin's identity as a gay man. The allegedly liberal mass media has largely persisted in portraying GLBT issues as universally white, and gave substantial airtime to Alveda King, a niece of the late Martin Luther King who denounces homosexuality.
The mass media tellingly elects to ignore the public GLBT rights support of Jesse Jackson and Coretta Scott King, who recognize there are many more blacks like Rustin. We cannot work towards the world he had envisioned without acknowlleging his whole self.
A name restored March 15, 2004
David Cohen (New Jersey, United States)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This biography is dedicated to the notion that Bayard Rustin deserves to be rememebered. John D'Emilio is persuasive in that regard. This is a scholarly work and it's well-written. The author does an excellent job of placing Rustin's life in context, showing where he fits in as a 20th century organizer and civil rights activist. It's a satisfying work.
|
|
|
| |
