Witnesses to the Struggle: Imaging the 1930s California Labor Movement

by Anne Loftis

Overview

A study of the artistic and literary responses to the Depression-era labor crises of the Golden State. Anne Loftis focuses on the work and activities of John Steinbeck, Carey McWilliams, Paul Taylor, and Dorothea Lange, who brought the story of California's labor struggles to the rest of the country. The realism and documentary expression of their art grew out of their personal involvement in the problems of society, and Loftis explores the lasting influence of their work. One of Steinbeck's unintended legacies was his treatment of California farm workers as victims—the simple pawns of larger forces. In her balanced and intriguing study Loftis reveals that the workers were not victims, but rather the strong and resourceful creators of their own histories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874174403
Publisher:	University of Nevada Press
Publication date:	05/16/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Anne Loftis was born in New York City in 1922, graduated from Smith College in 1944, and worked as a journalist and researcher after moving to California in 1954. She was research assistant to sociologist Paul Taylor for many years and is the daughter of the noted historian Allan Nevins. She is the co-author of The Great Betrayal: The Evacuation of Japanese-Americans During World War II, A Long Time Coming: The Struggle to Unionize America's Farm Workers, and the author of California, Where the Twain Did Meet.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Shadows in the Land of Sunshine
The Strikes, the Partisans, and the Press
Arbitration and Analysis
"A Wildly Stirring Story": Steinbeck's Interpretation
The Conversion of Carey McWilliams
Raids and Reaction
The Trial
Literary Repercussions
Following the Forgotten Americans
Paul Taylor Finds a Photographer
The Road to Grapes of Wrath
Voices from the Battlements
"Something Must Be Done, and Done Soon!"
Aftermath Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Witnesses to the Struggle is a wonderful book, beautifully written and must read for labor, ethnic, economic, western, and social/cultural historians, and for those who treasure Americana." —Choice


“The 1930s were a time, as [John] Steinbeck put it, when a tremendous amount of human drama unfolded for artists, writers and photographers to record. Loftis has captured the sense of drive and urgency that was felt then, both by the labor organizers and those recording the events.” —Palo Alto Weekly

From the Publisher