Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: The Political Biography of an American Dilemma
Powell (1908-72) fused a complex mix of temperament and tactics into a discomforting, loud leadership of racial protest that insistently exposed the gap between American principle and performance, argues Hamilton. Probing Powell's rise and fall, Hamilton moves from the 1930s, when Powell became a New York City councilman, to his service starting in 1945 as a U.S. Representative, and then to his chairing of the House Education and Labor Committee, his expulsion from the House in 1967, and his defeat at the polls in 1970. Hamilton's able analysis of the unapologetic, openly arrogant champion of civil rights reflects the race issues of the day within a prism of political theory focused on the conflict of basic American values like majority rule and minority rights. This book is essential for any serious collection on black biography, civil rights, or political analysis. Highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/91.- Thomas J. Davis, Univ. at Buffalo, N.Y.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.