1,500 Books and Journals from Scholarly Publishers Offer Knowledge, Insight on Race Relations in the U.S.

Contact: Brenna McLaughlin, AAUP Communications, 518-436-3586, bmclaughlin@aaupnet.org

NEW YORK, Sept. 24 /Standard Newswire/ -- Fifty years after the Little Rock Schools Crisis brought the conflicts over desegregation to a head, the case of the "Jena 6" in Louisiana is a troubling reminder of how racism still affects the relations between black and white Americans. Through Books for Understanding, an extensive bibliography on the history of race relations in the United States is available freely online, to provide students, journalists, and concerned citizens with the knowledge of the wider context of events in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, and Jena, Louisiana, today.

Go to bibliography: http://aaupnet.org/news/bfu/race/list.html

The Books for Understanding bibliography "In Black and White: Race Relations in the United States," has been fully revised and updated since its original compilation in 2002. It now comprises nearly 1,500 book and journal titles from 72 of the nation's finest scholarly publishers. Updates to the bibliography include: the addition of books published since 2002; the inclusion of many new authors in the "Directory of Experts"; and the revision of categories to not only include chronological subject areas ("Slavery & Abolition" through "Late Twentieth Century to Today"), but also topic areas of particular interest such as "Education," "The Military," and "Art & Culture."

In 2002, Senator Trent Lott's praise of Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat presidential bid inspired the publication of the bibliography. The updated and revised edition marks the anniversary of the desegregation crisis of the Little Rock schools; the bibliography's relevance as an educational resource for current events is saddening.

A sampling of titles from the new bibliography includes:

-         "Race, Politics, and Memory: A Documentary History of the Little Rock School Crisis," edited by Catherine Lewis and J. Richard Lewis (University of Arkansas Press, 2007).

-         "The Contexts of Juvenile Justice Decision Making: When Race Matters," Michael J. Leiber (SUNY Press, 2003).

-         "Race, Republicans, and the Return of the Party of Lincoln," Tasha S. Philpot (University of Michigan Press, 2007).

-         "Racism," Albert Memmi, translated and with an introduction by Steve Martinot (University of Minnesota Press, 2001).

Books for Understanding is an easy-to-use, free online resource for anyone looking for in-depth information, research, and expertise on the news of the day. Sponsored and managed by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP), Books for Understanding features subject-specific bibliographies on the critically important topics in the headlines. It is a dynamic resource, with new bibliographies compiled when a major news story breaks or heated public debate takes place. Lists now available at the site include resources on voting behavior, Iraq, New Orleans, climate change, and many other topics.

Sanford Thatcher, Director of Pennsylvania State University Press and 2007-08 AAUP President, sparked the idea for Books for Understanding. Immediately after September 11, 2001, he noticed a surge of requests for backlist titles on terrorism and approached AAUP with a request to compile a field-wide listing for people looking for information and insight. The program has since expanded into a dynamic public service web resource, and new lists are created as news warrants. AAUP promotes the work and influence of its 128 not-for-profit scholarly publisher members.