The crusades of Cesar Chavez : a biography / Miriam Pawel.
Pawel, Miriam, 1958- author.
2014
HD6509.C48 P38 2014 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection

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Title The crusades of Cesar Chavez : a biography / Miriam Pawel.
Author Pawel, Miriam, 1958- author.
Edition First U.S. edition.
ISBN 9781608197101 hardcover
1608197107 hardcover
Published New York : Bloomsbury Press, 2014.
Language English
Description 548 pages, 32 pages of plates : illustrations (some color), map ; 25 cm
Call Number HD6509.C48 P38 2014
Dewey Decimal Classification 331.88/13/092 B
Summary The author draws on thousands of documents and interviews to examine the myths and achievements marking the life of the iconic Latino labor leader and civil rights activist, portraying him as a flawed but brilliant strategist who was often at odds with himself. Cesar Chavez founded a labor union, launched a movement, and inspired a generation. He rose from migrant worker to national icon, becoming one of the great charismatic leaders of the 20th century. Two decades after his death, Chavez remains the most significant Latino leader in U.S. history. Yet his life story has been told only in hagiography, until now. In this biography of Chavez, the author offers a searching yet empathetic portrayal. Chavez emerges here as a visionary figure with tragic flaws; a brilliant strategist who sometimes stumbled; and a canny, streetwise organizer whose pragmatism was often at odds with his elusive, soaring dreams. He was an experimental thinker with eclectic passions, an avid, self-educated historian and a disciple of Gandhian non-violent protest. This biography deepens our understanding of one of Chavez's most salient qualities: his profound humanity. The author traces Chavez's remarkable career as he conceived strategies that empowered the poor and vanquished California's powerful agriculture industry, and his later shift from inspirational leadership to a cult of personality, with tragic consequences for the union he had built. This book reveals how this most unlikely American hero ignited one of the great social movements of our time.--Publisher information.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references (pages 487-534) and index.
Record Appears in On-Campus Resources > Books
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Part I. March 1927-April 1962. Home
Sal si puedes
The priest, the organizer, and the lumber handler
Cesar finds his calling
Staying organized
The first disciples
David vs. Goliath, round one
No hay mal que por bien no venga
Part II. April 1962-July 1970. Viva La Causa
Chavez in command
The strike
Beyond Delano
The first big test
Chavez the leader
The fast
The celebrity
The boycott
Contracts
Part III. July 1970-June 1975. A very different strike
Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz
Staking a national claim
Brother against brother
The perfect villain
The seeds are sown
The saint and the sinner
The end of the nonviolent Viet Cong
Part IV. June 1975-November 1978. Elections in the fields
The Crosby era
The cultural revolution
Slough off the old
Mecca
Trapped
The end game
Part V. November 1978-April 1993. From dream to nightmare
Una sola union
Playing defense
Chicano power
Selling the brand
The last fast
Three funerals.

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