The Schoolhouse Door: Segregations Last Stand at the University of Alabama

"This is a book about threats, intimidation, courage, perseverance, and the morality of an old and rotten way of life finally giving way. The story moves from the national politics of the Kennedy's confrontations with George Wallace to Wallace's artfully orchestrated public surrender and the impact of the transformation of the base of the Democratic Party in the Southern states as a result. This is a story of high drama about the human spirit and how Lucy's religious faith sustained her through the turmoil and racist threats. The author's research is carefully documented and his access to Lucy is evident. More important, the author clearly identifies the forces of racism, anti-democracy and ignorance. He names names, he discloses the betrayals, and he pierces the hypocrisies of the politicians and leaders who failed."--Nashville Banner"Clark charts Wallace's rise to power from 1957 onward, and offers day-by-day insight into goings-on within the Kennedy administration....Engaging and upbeat, and [Clarke's] case that events at the University of Alabama amounted to a microcosm of the civil rights struggle is strong indeed."--Booklist"All but impossible to put down, this remarkable study recalls the high drama of the days when the human spirit at its best met the human spirit at its worst at 'the schoolhouse door.' Rarely have I seen a more effective blend of analytical rigor and masterful storytelling than this book presents."--James C. Cobb, The University of Tennessee, author of The Most Southern Place on Earth"This readable, minutely detailed chronicle adds to the histories of the era."--Publishers Weekly"Clark exposes the [University of Alabama's] hateful and ill-considered responses to the crisis of racial integration that began there....His accounting of how Alabama came to occupy a special place in the demise of both segregation and states' rights deserves a close reading."--Library Journal"Clark tells [his] story with imagination and flair, leaving his reader with the satisfying sense of having examined that series of episodes from many angles and of having developed a deep appreciation for the numerous conflicting impulses inherent in that highly charged atmosphere....Clark writes with force and with clarity....Many of Clark's descriptions are unforgettable....The Schoolhouse Door is a solid contribution to this nation's on-going attempt to comprehend its racial dilemmas. Thoroughly researched, carefully crafted, well-written and insightful..."--The Alabama Review"[A] splendid book...The first scholarly, book-length treatment of the desegregation of a southern university, The Schoolhouse Door is much more than ordinary scholarship. E Culpepper Clark tells a powerful story....The writing is accessible, engaging, and more than occasionally eloquent."--History of Education Quarterly"Schoolhouse Door is exhaustively researched and exceptionally well written. It is an important addition to the growing literature on civil rights history and mandatory reading for graduate students and specialists. Clark conducted over fifty-six relevant interviews that he has vividly and gracefully woven into his narrative. Because he has placed his account so thoroughly within the larger historical events the book would also be useful for undergraduate seminars in recent U.S. history."--History