I just finished reading Larry Tye's book, "Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the making of the black middle class." This is the review I posted on Amazon, but I would enjoy editing it for one of the railroad.net forums. Where would it belong?
"Central to this excellent analytical history are the porters themselves. This book is not a biography of A. Philip Randolph or George Pullman. Rather, the vigor of this narrative arises from the men who were sleeping car porters, and most of their testimony comes with their real names and families. The porters worked hard at their extraordinary jobs, and they left a strong legacy in their descendents. I am a railfan, and I learned a lot of detailed history from this book. However, I also received a sense of the accomplishments of these men of the past 140 years. Author Larry Tye, it seems to me has done an excellent job of transmitting an understanding of the porters’ trials, hopes, and victories. I am most grateful to these American workers, and I am most grateful to the author for his clear presentation."
"Central to this excellent analytical history are the porters themselves. This book is not a biography of A. Philip Randolph or George Pullman. Rather, the vigor of this narrative arises from the men who were sleeping car porters, and most of their testimony comes with their real names and families. The porters worked hard at their extraordinary jobs, and they left a strong legacy in their descendents. I am a railfan, and I learned a lot of detailed history from this book. However, I also received a sense of the accomplishments of these men of the past 140 years. Author Larry Tye, it seems to me has done an excellent job of transmitting an understanding of the porters’ trials, hopes, and victories. I am most grateful to these American workers, and I am most grateful to the author for his clear presentation."
