Description
Book Synopsis Woody Guthrie, American Radical reclaims the politically radical profile of America''s greatest balladeer. Although he achieved a host of national honors and adorns U.S. postage stamps, and although his song This Land Is Your Land is often considered the nation''s second national anthem, Woody Guthrie committed his life to the radical struggle. Will Kaufman traces Guthrie''s political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie''s role in the development of a workers'' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Kaufman also establishes Guthrie''s significance in the perpetuation of cultural front objectives into the era of the New Left and beyond, particularly through his influence on the American and international protest song movement.
Trade Review
"A fresh, challenging look at Woody Guthrie's political life and musical contributions. Drawing on a rich, wide array of songs and other works that have so far been overlooked, Will Kaufman presents an unvarnished Guthrie, whose writings are incredibly stimulating."--Ronald D. Cohen, author of Work and Sing: A History of Occupational and Labor Union Songs in the United States
"A much needed and extremely valuable book on Woody Guthrie. Examining Guthrie in this broader historical and cultural framework yields new insights into both Guthrie and radicalism."--Bucky Halker, musician-historian and author of For Democracy, Workers, and God: Labor Song-Poems and Labor Protest, 1865–95
