American Babylon: Race and the Struggle for Postwar Oakland (Politics and Society in Twentieth-Century America)
Winner of the 2005 James A. Rawley Prize, Organization of American HistoriansWinner of the 2005 Best Book in Urban Affairs, Urban Affairs AssociationWinner of the 2004 Ralph J. Bunche Award, American Political Science AssociationWinner of the 2004 Best Book in North American Urban History, Urban History Association"[A]n original and complex explanation for the urban crisis that transformed Oakland, California, from 1945 to 1978. . . . By placing the history of Oakland and its African American community in a new theoretical framework that emphasizes suburban growth, tax revolts, and battles over land, jobs, and political power, Self has challenged historians to reconsider the way that they study postwar black urban communities."--Albert S. Broussard,Journal of American History"[M]eticulously researched. . . . [A] compelling, complex, and original account of black and, to a lesser extent, white community politics in metropolitan Oakland California from 1945 to 1978."--Cynthia Horan,Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science"By placing the history of Oakland and its African American community in a new theoretical framework that emphasizes suburban growth, tax revolts, and battles over land, jobs, and political power, Self has challenged historians to reconsider the way that they study postwar black urban communities."--Albert S. Broussard,Journal of American History"If you are concerned with the postwar city, race, economics, and politics, get this book and read it."--Kenneth Durr,American Historical Review