Or Does It Explode?: Black Harlem in the Great Depression

by Cheryl Lynn Greenberg

Overview

'This authoritative volume weaves...a comprehensive portrait of Harlem's suffering and struggles during these years...A significant contribution to black urban history and to studies of American life during the Great Depression.' -Journal of American History

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198022480
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/01/1997
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Trinity College

Table of Contents

	Introduction	3
1.	Depression in the Age of Prosperity	13
2.	A View from the Bottom: 1930-1933	42
3.	Barely Making Ends Meet: At Work in the Great Depression	65
4.	Roots of Organizing	93
5.	"Don't Buy Where You Can't Work"	114
6.	Harlem on Relief	140
7.	Mean Streets	175
8.	Been Down So Long	198
	Appendices	225
	Notes	247
	Index	309

Editorial Reviews

"A comprehensive portrait of Harlem's suffering and struggles during these years....Marks a significant contribution to black urban history and to studies of American life during the Great Depression."—Journal of American History

"A detailed portrait of black life in the nation's largest metropolis....The study carefully documents the impact of racial discrimination and segregation on Harlem, the political responses of blacks, and white reactions to black political demands....This study complements the growing body of scholarship on blacks in Harlem and warrants our close attention."—American Historical Review

"Fills an important void in African-American history....I highly recommend [it] as an important, useful, and superbly written book."—Pennsylvania History

"Greenberg has gathered revealing facts, statistics, and data, but her study remains human, focusing on real people in a real, complex, and resilient community."—CHOICE

"Or Does It Explode?' is a winner! It is the very model of what a community study ought to be. It is thoroughly, extensively researched; artfully composed; and intelligently argued—even when those arguments are contrary to my own."—Harvard Sitkoff, University of New Hampshire

"Greenberg's thoroughly researched and well-written study, which emphasizes the daily life of the single largest black community in the United States, is a valuable addition to the historical literature about blacks in the depression."—The Historian

"The book's strengths lie...in its careful and deservedly respectful treatment of Harlem's strong social and political networks that responded to the poverty and the horrific subordination of black people imposed from outside....Greenberg's work fills an important missing chapter in the large historiography of Black Harlem."—New York History

"Contributes to a greater understanding of the impact of the depression of the 1930s on the African-American community....[A] valuable resource on the struggles of the black residents of Harlem during the worst economic crisis in American history."—Journal of American Ethnic History

"Or Does It Explode is an outstanding book that expands our knowledge of African-American, urban, labor, and political history. Cheryl Lynn Greenberg writes perceptively about the complexities of African-American urban life. Her work illuminates the forces that shape black urban activism. By focusing on Harlem in the Great Depression, Greenberg has given us insight into the ways in which a seemingly powerless community attempted to achieve a measure of power at home, in the workplace, and in the political arena."—International Labor & Working Class History

From the Publisher