About the Author

John Egerton (1935-2013), an independent nonfiction writer, wrote extensively on his native South. He is author of more than a dozen books, including The Americanization of Dixie and Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History.

Reviews

Make room on your library shelf . . . for John Egerton"s magnificent "Speak Now Against the Day". His book is a stunning achievement: a sprawling, engrossing, deeply moving account of those Southerners, black and white, who raised their voices to challenge the South's racial mores. . . . [This] is an eloquent and passionate book, and . . . one we cannot afford to forget.
--Charles B. Dew, "New York Times Book Review"


Rich and compelling. . . . For anyone interested in the emergence of the civil rights movement or anyone who simply loves a well-written history, "Speak Now Against the Day" is a must read.
--"Journal of Southwest Georgia History"


[A] superb book, measured but eloquent.
-Dan T. Carter, "Washington Post Book World"

[A] superb book, measured but eloquent.
--Dan T. Carter, "Washington Post Book World"

Make room on your library shelf . . . for John Egerton"s magnificent "Speak Now Against the Day". His book is a stunning achievement: a sprawling, engrossing, deeply moving account of those Southerners, black and white, who raised their voices to challenge the South's racial mores. . . . [This] is an eloquent and passionate book, and . . . one we cannot afford to forget.
--Charles B. Dew, "New York Times Book Review"


Rich and compelling. . . . For anyone interested in the emergence of the civil rights movement or anyone who simply loves a well-written history, "Speak Now Against the Day" is a must read.
--"Journal of Southwest Georgia History"


[A] superb book, measured but eloquent.
-Dan T. Carter, "Washington Post Book World"
[A] superb book, measured but eloquent.
--Dan T. Carter, "Washington Post Book World"

Native Southerner Egerton (Shades of Gray, LJ 10/1/91) details a rich historical narrative of black and white Southerners opposing white supremacy during the 1930s and 1940s. Egerton superbly weaves descriptions of social and intellectual ferment, politics, and culture (e.g., literature, religion, music) into a coherent synthesis. He explains why the South failed to dismantle white supremacy when the possibility existed for voluntary, peaceful social reform. Egerton excoriates the crude, anti-democratic, self-serving social elites and politicians who denied human rights to black Americans. His book is a tribute to those black and white Southerners who wanted racial equality when many white Americans preferred not to acknowledge that racism had corroded America. Strongly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Charles L. Lumpkins, Bloomsburg Univ. Lib., Pa.