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Reviews of INTO THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE by Samuel G. Freedman
"Freedman tells a surprising and rare history of Black and Jewish Americans fighting against racism and antisemitism, often side by side, in a Northern city before the civil rights era. His brilliant profiles of these local heroes are gripping and, in many ways, the spine of the book." --Khalil Gibran Muhammad, The New York Times Book Review
“Compelling. . . . Freedman offers an intimate and fine-grained depiction of Humphrey’s early life and fledgling political career, as well as a revealing portrait of Minneapolis, a city of both gut-wrenching racism and creative civil rights initiatives.” -- Aram Goudsouzian, The Washington Post
“A powerful and captivating read.” -- Richard Aldous, The Wall Street Journal
“Freedman's account, with its you-are-there immediacy, will absorb history enthusiasts and anyone interested in the early years of the civil rights movement. He restores Humphrey to his rightful place in American politics, and reminds readers that America's battles over access and equality have deep roots in a long, anguished past.” -- Mary Ann Gwinn, The Star Tribune
'Into the Bright Sunshine' spotlights the achievements of LBJ VP Hubert Humphrey -NPR's Fresh Air
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-into-the-bright-sunshine-looks-at-hubert-humphrey-in-1948-188629573876Samuel Freedman interviewed on "Morning Joe"
“Masterfully researched and reported. . . . What is striking about Freedman's agile telling of the tale of Humphrey's emergence as a national figure is that, because the book is so compelling and ennobling of the Minnesotan, the reader is left with an even deeper sense of loss--and with the aching question of what might have been.” -- John Nichols, The Progressive
"Freedman enlarges the reader's understanding of Humphrey while also offering vivid, rich, and unsettling details about politics, society, racism, and antisemitism in mid-twentieth-century America...An illuminating look at an important yet overlooked facet of American history." -- John Rowen, Booklis
“With insight and grace, Samuel G. Freedman has given us a compelling and important account of Hubert H. Humphrey’s critical role in the the freedom struggles of the mid-2039th century. It takes nothing away from the sacrifices and bravery of Black Americans to note Humphrey’s commitment to achieving justice for all — the great goal of America’s still-unfinished journey.”
— Jon Meacham, author of And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
“At the 1948 Democratic Convention, Hubert Humphrey implored the Party and nation to make civil rights the cause of the 20th century. Samuel Freedman’s insightful book provides a critical account of not only Humphrey’s path to that moment but also of the Minneapolis leaders and activists who fought for justice in Minnesota and who shaped the man who would become one of our nation’s greatest champions for equality. Freedman’s book reminds us that while so much progress has been made, all of us must continue to walk ‘towards that bright sunshine of human rights.’” — Senator Amy Klobuchar
“Into The Bright Sunshine accomplishes that rare triumph of being two books at once: Freedman has crafted both a definitive biography of Hubert Humphrey so vivid that we can almost hear H.H's heart thump on the page, as well as a rigorous investigation into the moral, spiritual and political forces that have shaped the best of liberalism in America.” — Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Amity and Prosperity
“In a lively, eloquent, deeply human way, Samuel Freedman brings his lifelong passion for social justice to a key turning point in our still-unfinished battle for true equality. Even people like me who disagreed with Hubert Humphrey over Vietnam will come away from this book with a deepened respect for the man who dragged his reluctant party to take a stand for civil rights.” — Adam Hochschild
“Samuel Freedman, one of the great chroniclers of modern America, provides us with a fascinating history of racial liberalism in Cold War America, unpacking the origin story of Hubert Humphrey's pathbreaking speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Capturing a pivotal moment in the history of civil rights politics, Freedman's book is a significant contribution to the literature on American politics.” — Julian Zelizer, Princeton University, author of The Fierce Urgency of Now
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