New Release: Knocking Down Barriers

"Sixty years ago, when Truman Gibson reported for duty at the War Department, Washington, D.C. was a southern city in its unbending segregation as well as in its steamy summers. Gibson had no illusions, but as someone who'd enjoyed the best of the vibrant black culture of prewar America, he was shocked to find the worst of the Jim Crow South in the nation's capital. What Gibson accomplished as an advocate for African American soldiers-first as a lawyer working for the Secretary of War, then as a member of President Truman's "Black Cabinet"--is a large part of the history of the struggle for civil rights in the American military; and it is a compelling part of the story that Gibson tells in this book, a memoir of a life spent making a difference in the world one step at a time."<MORE>

"Knocking Down Barriers is a wonderful book ripe with stories and insights that illuminate many of the dark corners of America's struggle for integration and racial justice during the 1930s and 1940s. While this engagingly written memoir explores the intersection of race, sports, entertainment, and law, Gibson's greatest contribution is his recollections of the personalities, debates, and barriers in the battle to integrate the armed forces. Gibson's words help us to better understand the difficulties and the ultimate importance of the successful challenge to a segregated military and how those actions helped create an environment that stimulated and supported the nascent civil rights movement. This is a must-read."
--Lonnie G. Bunch, President, Chicago Historical Society

QD's OtherMother is Mr. Gibson's daughter and QD actually trucked herself to the NYPL (pronounced "nipple") and did a little research for the author. QD strongly suggests you buy this book - it will make you smarter!