Description:
A timely call for Texas--and the South--to reclaim its radical history, drawing lessons for today's struggle from the populists and socialists of yesteryear.
In blood-red states such as Texas, politics operates under the fallacy that these places were always conservative, so that it would be foolish, even utopian, to propose a progressive alternative. The Myth of Red Texas, David Griscom's debut book, reassesses this misconception, arguing that the Lone Star Left must embrace its hidden past to reach a brighter future.
Cowboys on strike, socialists on the ballot, farmers fighting tooth and claw for what they termed the "cooperative commonwealth"--Texas was once a wellspring of radicals hell-bent on taking power from the robber barons who ruled the day. With a careful eye for history, Griscom demonstrates how Texans' left-wing parties, from the populists to the socialists, organized against the Right and often won--and how reclaiming that tradition can help today's Left break the political deadlock in Texas and beyond.
Review Quotes:
"David Griscom has taken hold of Texas history and made it a sing a new song--a song not of a conservative "Old West" to nostalgically long for . . . a song that not only reminds us of a radical past, but also enables us to better understand why even now we feel the call to make America radically freer, more equal and more democratic."
--Harvey J Kaye
"Reclaims Texas's political history from dominant conservative narratives, deftly tracing a rich legacy of collectivist class struggle, radical politics, and democratic movements, as well as providing essential lessons for the battles ahead."
--Emma Vigeland
"In this totally unique and indispensable book, Griscom [offers] a vivid history of the Texas populists, socialists, and unionists who have long raised hell in the Lone Star State. In telling our lesser-known history, The Myth of Red Texas surfaces resonant truths about the state's political character and its possible futures."
--Meagan Day
"If the left is going to move forward, it has to recover its past. In this bracing and wonderfully written history of Texas, David Griscom has done us a great service . . . When Texans rebuild a vibrant left, Griscom's book will be an indispensable resource."
--Vivek Chibber
"A lively and informative retelling of the forgotten history of populist and socialist movements in Texas, replete with colorful characters. Essential reading for those reclaiming Texas from a bastion of reactionary conservatism."
--Seth Harp
"Offers a first-of-its-kind, jaw-dropping corrective. It issues an invitation to other Texans to finally wise up to the fact that we have been lied to, that our heritage has been manipulated. And if there is anything Texans hate, it is being taken for fools."
--Current Affairs
"A new book doesn't romanticize our state's history, but it does establish a neglected throughline of solidarity."
--Texas Observer
"For those who have felt excluded by the mythologizing of Texas' past, it serves as a galvanizing read for further education and collective action."
--The Austin Chronicle
"A galvanizing read that could inspire further education and collective action among those seeking to understand and challenge the state's complex political history."
--National Today