To Keep the Waters Troubled
The Life of Ida B. Wells
Published on 14. December 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-0-19-513927-3 (ISBN)
Description
In the generation that followed Frederick Douglass, no African American was more prominent, or more outspoken, than Ida B. Wells. Her crusade against lynching in the 1890s made her famous, or notorious, across America, and she was seriously considered as a rival to W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington for race leadership. This book is the first full biography of Wells, a passionate crusader for black people and women--and one who was sometimes torn by her conflicting loyalties to race and gender.
Wells' career began amidst controversy when she sued a Tennessee railroad company for ousting her from a first class car, a legal battle which launched her lifelong committment to journalism and activism. In the 1890s, Wells focused her eloquence on the horrors of lynching, exposing it as a widespread form of racial terrorism. Backing strong words with strong actions, she lectured in the States and abroad, arranged legal representation for black prisoners, hired investigators, founded anti-lynching leagues, sought recourse from Congress, and more. Wells was an equally forceful advocate for women's rights, but parted ways with feminist allies who would subordinate racial justice to their cause. She perpetually walked a tightrope between being an agitator and behaving like a "lady"--a designation prized by black women too often denigrated and exploited by white men. Using diary entries, letters, and published writings, McMurry illuminates Wells's fiery personality, and the uncompromising approach that sometimes lost her friendships even as it won great victories.
To Keep the Waters Troubled is an unforgettable account of a remarkable woman and the and the times she helped to change.
Wells' career began amidst controversy when she sued a Tennessee railroad company for ousting her from a first class car, a legal battle which launched her lifelong committment to journalism and activism. In the 1890s, Wells focused her eloquence on the horrors of lynching, exposing it as a widespread form of racial terrorism. Backing strong words with strong actions, she lectured in the States and abroad, arranged legal representation for black prisoners, hired investigators, founded anti-lynching leagues, sought recourse from Congress, and more. Wells was an equally forceful advocate for women's rights, but parted ways with feminist allies who would subordinate racial justice to their cause. She perpetually walked a tightrope between being an agitator and behaving like a "lady"--a designation prized by black women too often denigrated and exploited by white men. Using diary entries, letters, and published writings, McMurry illuminates Wells's fiery personality, and the uncompromising approach that sometimes lost her friendships even as it won great victories.
To Keep the Waters Troubled is an unforgettable account of a remarkable woman and the and the times she helped to change.
Reviews / Votes
"A solid study of a black woman activist confronting both racial discrimination and controversial questions of gender role."--Kirkus Reviews"This is a fine biography, one that will reward even those readers who already know something about Wells's accomplishments. McMurry does not condescend to her subject by ignoring her flaws or romanticizing her life. Instead, by evoking the complex humanity underlying an extraordinary record of public achievement, she does genuine honor to Wells."--The New York Times Book Review
"McMurry weaves a rich account of Wells' life into a larger analysis of race and class conflict, gender roles and expectations, and crises in Black leadership at the turn of the century...The author provides a vivid account of how this ambitious, educated Black woman led a committed life at the turn of the century. Meticulously researched and written in an accessible style, To Keep The Waters Troubled is sure to inspire a resurgence of interest in
Wells' life and work."--Emerge
"No previous biography of Wells tells her life better. McMurray, who has written a biography of African-American scientist George Washington Carver, deserves an A for effort on the Wells book."--Steve Weinberg, Christian Science Monitor
"To Keep the Waters Troubled fills the immediate need to re-examine Wells-Barnett's life...[It] marks a critical juncture in Wells-Barnett scholarship; it brings us to the disciplinary edge where biography stands ready to find its best expression as cultural history."--Jacqueline Goldsby, The Women's Review of Books
"This book is the first full biography of [Ida B.]Wells...Using diary entries, letters, and published writings, McMurray illuminates Well's fiery personality, and the uncompromising approach that sometimes lost her friendships even as it won great victories."--Urban Spectrum
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
17 halftones, 11 line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
679 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-513927-3 (9780195139273)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2000
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Linda O. McMurry is a Professor of History at North Carolina State University, and author of George Washington Carver: Scientist and Symbol and Recorder of the Black Experience: A Biography of Monroe Nathan Work. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.