THE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA, 1932-1954

This sixth volume of social history grazes some interesting topics -- the origins of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, the accomplishments of blacks under the WPA, the rise of Father Divine, segregation in the armed forces, Adam Clayton Powell's early campaigns to win jobs for blacks in New York. It's too bad Jackson didn't treat these in some depth instead of trying to cover everything including black contributions to sports, jazz, literature and painting. Superficial -- but except for Meltzer's older In Their Own Words, 1916-1966, there's surprisingly little available on blacks in the Depression era.