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I am well aware that there is material in this book which will be misused by fools both white and red. That is not my fault. My object has been narrowly limited. I have tried by means of a bald record of conversations and things seen, to provide material for those who wish to know what is being done and thought in Moscow at the present time, and demand something more to go upon than secondhand reports of wholly irrelevant atrocities committed by either one side or the other, and often by neither one side nor the other, but by irresponsible scoundrels who, in the natural turmoil of the greatest convulsion in the history of our civilization, escape temporarily here and there from any kind of control.

The book is in no sense of the word propaganda. For propaganda, for the defence or attack of the Communist position, is needed a knowledge of economics, both from the capitalist and socialist standpoints, to which I cannot pretend. Very many times during the revolution it has seemed to me a tragedy that no Englishman properly equipped in this way was in Russia studying the gigantic experiment which, as a country, we are allowing to pass abused but not examined. I did my best. I got, I think I may say, as near as any foreigner who was not a Communist could get to what was going on. But I never lost the bitter feeling that the opportunities of study which I made for myself were wasted, because I could not hand them on to some other Englishman, whose education and training would have enabled him to make a better, a fuller use of them. Nor would it have been difficult for such a man to get the opportunities which were given to me when, by sheer persistence in enquiry, I had overcome the hostility which I at first encountered as the correspondent of a "bourgeois" newspaper. Such a man could be in Russia now, for the Communists do not regard war as we regard it. The Germans would hardly have allowed an Allied Commission to come to Berlin a year ago to investigate the nature and working of the Autocracy. The Russians, on the other hand, immediatelya greed to the suggestion of the Berne Conference that they should admit a party of socialists, the majority of whom, as they well knew, had already expressed condemnation of them. Further, in agreeing to this, they added that they would as willingly admit a committee of enquiry sent by any of the "bourgeois" governments actually at war with them.

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The author of this little volume has no other apology for offering it to the public, than the hurried manner in which it has been composed. Being detained in the city of New York on business, he seized the opportunity of a tedious delay, and wrote the work in the inside of one month, attending to other business through the day, and lecturing on physiology sometimes in the evening. The reader will therefore not entertain an idea of elegance of language and terseness of style, such as should rule the sentences of every composition, by whomsoever written.

His sole object has been, to place before the public in general, and the colored people of the United States in particular, great truths concerning this class of citizens, which appears to have been heretofore avoided, as well by friends as enemies to their elevation. By opponents, to conceal information, that they are well aware would stimulate and impel them on to bold and adventurous deeds of manly daring; and by friends, who seem to have acted on the principle of the zealous orthodox, who would prefer losing the object of his pursuit to changing his policy.

There are also a great many colored people in the United States, who have independence of spirit, who desire to, and do, think for themselves; but for the want of general information, and in consequence of a prevailing opinion that has obtained, that no thoughts nor opinions must be expressed, even though it would eventuate in their elevation, except it emanate from some old, orthodox, stereotyped doctrine concerning them; therefore, such a work as this, which is but a mere introduction to what will henceforth emanate from the pen of colored men and women, appeared to be in most anxious demand, in order to settle their minds entirely, and concentrate them upon an effective and specific course of procedure. We have never conformed with that class of philosophers who would keep the people in ignorance, lest they might change their opinion from former predilections. This we shall never do, except pressing necessity demands it, and then only as a measure to prevent bad consequences, for the time.


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The relationship between welfare and racial inequality has long been understood as a fight between liberal and conservative forces. In The Segregated Origins of Social Security, Mary Poole challenges that basic assumption. Meticulously reconstructing the behind-the-scenes politicking that gave birth to the 1935 Social Security Act, Poole demonstrates that segregation was built into the very foundation of the welfare state because white policy makers--both liberal and conservative--shared an interest in preserving white race privilege.

Although northern white liberals were theoretically sympathetic to the plight of African Americans, Poole says, their primary aim was to save the American economy by salvaging the pride of America's "essential" white male industrial workers. The liberal framers of the Social Security Act elevated the status of Unemployment Insurance and Social Security--and the white workers they were designed to serve--by differentiating them from welfare programs, which served black workers.

Revising the standard story of the racialized politics of Roosevelt's New Deal, Poole's arguments also reshape our understanding of the role of public policy in race relations in the twentieth century, laying bare the assumptions that must be challenged if we hope to put an end to racial inequality in the twenty-first. ... Read more

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A biography about Chile's legendary musician & artist, who championed her nation's rustic customs, songs and dances against a current of modernization.She left a legacy of song of social justice & the dignity of humble roots.As a visual artist, Violeta Parra was the first Latin American to merit a solo exhibit in the Louvre.A woman of great passion, she paid tragically for her choices.

Advance praise from Marjorie Agosin, Wellesley College, author of Violeta Parra, Santa de Pura Greda:
Karen Kerschen has given readers & admirers of Violeta Parra an extraordinary book that combines a fascinating biography of Chile's foremost folk singer as well as poetical insight into Violeta's passionate, tumultuous life and creativity.This is no doubt, the most complete and sophisticated work ever devoted to Violeta Parra, an icon of cultural heritage in the Americas.

This bio was an absorbing, mesmerizing read.Violeta was a fascinating study in contradictions, not physically beautiful but rich in spirit and emotions, she could suck the oxygen out of a room.Ferociously loving violeta could be a tough antagonist.Often plagued by poverty, she still was exgtaordinarily giving and generous.In the midst of turbulence she could be serene and focused.She was so creative and versatile, her untimely end was almost a required conclusion to a life always lived on the edge.It’s too bad she fell off, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.She may have been a celebrity, but she was first and foremost a people person.Thank you for sharing the book and Violeta with me and the reading public.
Sam Kostman
Educator
NY, NY

As a psychologist working as a family therapist, I found the character developments impressive. I "could not put it down" as book reviewers say. It was a time and history I knew little about; now I want to know more!
Jay Asher, Ed.D., LMHC
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Violeta Parra made me wonder at what point passion becomes obsession.
Stan Salkil
Shawnee, OK

I just finished the book last night. I was so moved.
You did a great Job!
Nina Serrano
Poet
Oakland, CA

Thank you for writing this book. You’ve given me so much more of her to work with.I love you!
JoJo Sena de Tarnoff
(performs Violeta Parra repertoire)
Teatro Paraguas
Santa Fe, NM ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Violeta Parra, the artist
Violeta Parra was a Chilean folk singer and artist who began life in abject poverty and clawed her way from the ghetto to the Louvre by capitalizing on her self-taught skills. She surmounted what seemed insurmountable odds to rise out of her dirt-poor beginning to overcome illness, to maintain friends and family, to develop the ability to play almost every musical instrument available in South America during her lifetime, and to capture the beauty and colors of life in her paintings and woven masterpieces.

The author has captured the essence of this enigmatic artist, who was a passionate, self-centered, self-destructive soul. Kerschen also shows us a brilliant musician, generous with her love, time, money and talent.In fact it was probably Violeta's generosity that kept her constantly overworked and poor. It also fed her temper tantrums, and serious bouts of depression that plagued her all her life, and which ended her life.

With a sure touch, Kerschen has created a full picture of Violeta and her environs and talent: we learn about the clothing styles of the time, hear Chilean music of the 1940s, 50's and 60's, read her poetry, and see the primitive tapestry and paintings she created.

The book contains an extensive Index and "Sources" section that includes a glossary of terms, selected books of interest, discography, film, and the author's website address.A map of Violeta's travels would have been helpful.

Another virtually unknown woman, sigh, outside of Chile anyhow...
Intriguing intro to a volatile Chilean artist/musician who took her own life at the age of 49. Ms. Kerschen's passionate storytelling dramatizes Parra's failures and successes throughout every facet of a fascinating life devoted to both her own poetry and music, and the recording and documentation of a real Chilean folk music archive. Parra was the first Latin American artist (and the first woman) to be shown in an individual exhibition at the Louvre in Paris. Her works include painting, papier-maché masks, ceramics, and fantastically rendered emblematic tapestry-style embroideries on burlap.

Listen God, Won't you command an earthquake for me?
This book tells the life story of Violeta Parra (1917 - 1967), a Chilean peasant artist famous for her tapestries, singing, and collection of folk songs.The author describes Violeta's loves, passions and eccentricities to the extent that the reader really knows her.For example, the opening chapter tells how she sent a telegram to God, asking for an earthquake.

The story moves right along, punctuated with dialog, quotes, and the text of songs.A good read. ... Read more

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Sergei Kovalyov is a central figure in the struggle for human rights in Russia. He was a leading Soviet biology academic, and in the 1970s, after becoming active in dissident circles, was arrested by the KGB, tried, imprisoned and subjected to internal exile. After his release, he continued to work for human rights, eventually becoming chairman of the Soviet Human Rights Committee and chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Commission, in which positions he was extremely influential in framing human rights provisions in post-Communist Russia. He subsequently took President Yeltsin to task for human rights failings, eventually resigning in protest. This book, by tracing Kovaloyov's political career, shows how human rights developed in Russia in late Soviet and post Soviet times.