Progressive Nation: A Travel Guide with 400+ Left Turns and Inspiring Landmarks by Jerome Pohlen

From the Publisher

Nearly every progressive movement in American history can be traced back to a person who said "This must change" and then set out to change it. This inspiring travel guide to over 400 markers of progressive politics in the United States celebrates those individuals, their accomplishments, and the movements and communities they inspired. Visit the battlegrounds and celebrate the victories of the civil libertarians, feminists, African Americans, gays, lesbians, environmentalists, labor organizers, and media activists who have worked to create a just, peaceful society that respects all of its citizens. With enthusiasm and humor, Jerome Pohlen guides travelers to such landmarks of change as

• The home of abolitionists Levi and Catharine Coffin, Grand Central Station on the Underground Railroad
• Alice’s Restaurant Church, the namesake of Arlo Guthrie’s song protesting the draft
• The courthouse where Susan B. Anthony went on trial for attempting to vote
• The site of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago, where laborers protested working conditions
• The former camera shop where Harvey Milk launched his campaign to become America’s first openly gay elected official

CapeCodTimes.com

Unusual and often inspiring handbook.

Chicago Tribune

[An] unusual and often inspiring guidebook.

Duncan Stewart - Library Journal

Pohlen, a commentator on NPR in Chicago and author of the Oddball state travel guides (e.g. Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places), offers progressives a handy guide to U.S. historical sites that will interest them in particular, and along the way he provides fascinating vignettes of America's largely forgotten radical past. He arranges his book by region, state, and then alphabetically by town, including photos, quotes, and a key identifying which kind of site he is describing-museum, long-gone building, etc. Populous states on the coasts have the most sites identified, but Pohlen reminds readers that even Mississippi and Utah have progressive spots to visit. He notes that there are many more places than he could in fact include; nonetheless, he could have beefed up the Midwest section. Flint, MI, is here, but Tipton, IA-site of the 1931 "Cow War" between farmers and state militia-is not. Nor is Debs, MN, named for Eugene Debs, who spoke to thousands at that location. This book can certainly be used well as a travel guide, but it is just as much fun to pick it up and thumb through in your armchair. Recommended for public libraries and academic American history collections.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School- Pohlen's unique and impelling guide serves as a minicourse in American Progressive history. The book's seven sections correspond to geographical regions, from New England to the Pacific Rim. Sites include the universally familiar (the Bread and Roses Strike in Lowell, MA; the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, AL) along with the lesser known, such as the parking lot in Belle Glade, FL, featured in "Harvest of Shame," Edward R. Murrow's influential 1960 broadcast about the plight of migrant workers. With each location, the author tells not only what occurred there, but also how the consequences affected American society. Entries range from a single paragraph to a page and a half, each indentified by icons providing information (such as the type of site and whether it is private or public property) and followed by a list of sources and contacts. Pohlen makes effective use of quote boxes; additional information is also set aside in a shaded, file-folder design. Some 70 distinct black-and-white photographs accompany the text. Whether or not readers ever visit a site, they will have enriched their knowledge of Progressive ideals and the people who faced incarceration, injury, and even death in order to "move America forward."-Dori DeSpain, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents