The crusades of Cesar Chavez
Subtitle: a biography
By: Miriam Pawel
Edition: First U.S. edition.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 548
ISBN-13: 9781608197101
Subjects: Labor leaders; History; Biography; Syndicalisme; Droit; Human rights workers; Labor unions; United farm workers; United Farm Workers; Travailleurs agricoles; Agricultural laborers; Mexican Americans; Mouvement ouvrier
Description: The author draws on thousands of documents and interviews to examine the myths and achievements marking the life of the iconic Latino labor leader and civil rights activist, portraying him as a flawed but brilliant strategist who was often at odds with himself. Cesar Chavez founded a labor union, launched a movement, and inspired a generation. He rose from migrant worker to national icon, becoming one of the great charismatic leaders of the 20th century. Two decades after his death, Chavez remains the most significant Latino leader in U.S. history. Yet his life story has been told only in hagiography, until now. In this biography of Chavez, the author offers a searching yet empathetic portrayal. Chavez emerges here as a visionary figure with tragic flaws; a brilliant strategist who sometimes stumbled; and a canny, streetwise organizer whose pragmatism was often at odds with his elusive, soaring dreams. He was an experimental thinker with eclectic passions, an avid, self-educated historian and a disciple of Gandhian non-violent protest. This biography deepens our understanding of one of Chavez's most salient qualities: his profound humanity. The author traces Chavez's remarkable career as he conceived strategies that empowered the poor and vanquished California's powerful agriculture industry, and his later shift from inspirational leadership to a cult of personality, with tragic consequences for the union he had built. This book reveals how this most unlikely American hero ignited one of the great social movements of our time.--Publisher information.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 487-548) and index.
Table of contents: title: Part I. March 1927-April 1962. Home; title: Sal si puedes; title: The priest, the organizer, and the lumber handler; title: Cesar finds his calling; title: Staying organized; title: The first disciples; title: David vs. Goliath, round one; title: No hay mal que por bien no venga; title: Part II. April 1962-July 1970. Viva La Causa; title: Chavez in command; title: The strike; title: Beyond Delano; title: The first big test; title: Chavez the leader; title: The fast; title: The celebrity; title: The boycott; title: Contracts; title: Part III. July 1970-June 1975. A very different strike; title: Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz; title: Staking a national claim; title: Brother against brother; title: The perfect villain; title: The seeds are sown; title: The saint and the sinner; title: The end of the nonviolent Viet Cong; title: Part IV. June 1975-November 1978. Elections in the fields; title: The Crosby era; title: The cultural revolution; title: Slough off the old; title: Mecca; title: Trapped; title: The end game; title: Part V. November 1978-April 1993. From dream to nightmare; title: Una sola union; title: Playing defense; title: Chicano power; title: Selling the brand; title: The last fast; title: Three funerals.