Tracy Campbell

1942 in the US—a year that began with significant fear over whether further attacks on the mainland were coming, and continued with a lot less unity than we remember in retrospect. Racial terrorism continued despite Black leaders’ attempts to win democracy at home; Republicans prepared for a significant midterm that might let them take back leverage; and war production was nowhere near what FDR wanted even as price controls and rationing of gas and even coffee frustrated the public. One of the standard patterns of US politics emerged: in a low-turnout year spurred by vote suppression (the millions of men away from home in the military usually couldn’t vote; people who’d moved recently—and with mobilization there were a lot of them—usually couldn’t vote; and of course millions in the South both Black and white couldn’t vote because of poll taxes and other racial suppression measures), Republican gains convinced the conventional wisdom that the US was too conservative for progressive policies.… (mais)

In this accessible, informative biography, Campbell presents the tragic story of one of the brightest stars on the 20th century American political scene. A man of acknowledged genius, fragile ego, and an almost childlike attitude, Prichard was seen by many as the most gifted and promising of the new generation of liberal politicians that arose out of the New Deal. Though his hopes for political office were ended by J. Edgar Hoover's irrational vendetta against him, Campbell makes it clear that the person who ultimately brought about Prichard's downfall was Prichard himself. This is an excellent book about the lofty heights and tragic depths that a man could sink to, and I highly recommend it to any history buff or political wonk.… (mais)

I was looking for a book that told the story of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, but more than just the design of Eero Saarinen's Arch. I opted for this book, part of the "Icons of America" series, which features "short works written by leading scholars, critics, and writers...about American history and culture." Campbell has done an exceptional job in explaining how the Arch happened, particularly in putting the project into context, both in St. Louis and in the nation. I knew the Arch had its fair share of controversy and that it took a while from competition to completion, but the story that Campbell recounts is such that there is no way a comparable project could be completed today. The price tag and overt insider interests alone would kill it. But of course the Arch did happen, and St. Louis and the country is left with one of the greatest monuments of all time. Now the city is undergoing the City Arch River project, which is set to improve the landscape around the monument, though St. Louis could use some TLC beyond the Arch grounds alone.… (mais)