George Wallace: An American Populist - Hardcover

Lesher, Stephan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0201622106 ISBN 13: 9780201622102

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 1994

Synopsis

The coauthor of Inside the Supreme Court presents a full-scale biography of the complex life and times of George Wallace, from rural poverty under Roosevelt to national prominence in the age of segregation. 30,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

As a correspondent for Newsweek, as well as a number of Southern dailies, Stephen Lesher covered Wallace from the time of the Montgomery boycott to the end of his political career. He is the author of A Coronary Event and Media Unbound, among other books.

From Booklist:

To his opponents on the left, George Wallace was the b{ˆ}ete noire of their nightmares: a race-baiting demagogue whose snarling contempt portended a chilling brand of populist authoritarianism. To his supporters, Wallace was a straight-talking, decisive politician who promised to remember those whom a swollen federal government had long neglected--"average, hard working American[s]." As Lesher illustrates, the reality of Wallace was far more complicated. Lesher views him as a fascinating, charismatic, and enigmatic political figure whose influence on national politics

far exceeded his modest vote totals in the elections of 1968 and 1972. Lesher traces Wallace's personal and political development from his youth in dirt-poor Barbour County to his metamorphosis into a respected southern moderate of the New South. Along the way, Lesher reveals a man of toughness, competitive fire, and a surprising capacity for growth and compassion. Above all, Lesher's Wallace is a product of the Deep South, with its sense of pride and victimization always present in Wallace's personal and political psyche. For anyone who wishes to understand the current political and cultural schisms in America, Lesher's biography provides an invaluable service. Jay Freeman

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0201622106
• ISBN 13: 9780201622102
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 586