Two years ago, Peter Dreier triggered a lively debate when The Nation听featured his list of the "50 Most Influential Progressives of the听Twentieth Century" on its cover. Now he鈥檚 turned that debate into a book.
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Dreier鈥檚 provocative slant in the newly published (Nation听Books) is that the "greatest" Americans are those who helped promote听what he calls "a more humane, democratic, and just society."
In the book, the politics professor and chair of the Urban &听Environmental Policy Department at swag外流 profiles 100听individuals鈥攕ome well-known, others less famous鈥攚ho played key roles听in the women's suffrage, labor, civil rights, environment, feminist,听and other movements of the century. He emphasizes the importance of听telling their stories, arguing that they are underrepresented in听textbooks and often misrepresented in political debate.
The result of Dreier鈥檚 work, author Jonathan Kozol says, is "a听compelling听narrative of the major social justice movements of the听United States and the ways that high ideals are transformed into听action鈥errific reading." You can hear an interview with Dreier about his book听.
Dreier will be at Vroman鈥檚 bookstore in Pasadena on听Friday, July 6 at 7 p.m. He also will be signing at Modern Times听bookstore in San Francisco on Saturday, July 21 at 7 p.m.; at the San听Francisco Laborfest Book Festival on July 22 at 2 p.m.; and at Diesel听Books in Brentwood on Sunday, August 5 at 3 p.m.
