Reviews for The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle

The average rating for The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-09-27 00:00:00 Scott Baker Highly decorated scholar T V Reed has spent decades studying culture, politics and activism in America. His second book, The Art of Protestis a well thought out, intricate study of the influence art has had on activism over the years. The book focuses on social movements, which he defines as, "… the unauthorized, unofficial, anti-institutional, collective action of ordinary citizens trying to change their world."(Pg. i) The premise of the book is that America is shaped by activism, and activism is greatly influenced by art. From cover to cover it reads like a textbook. Each chapter, except the final one, discusses a social movement. They are arranged in chronological order beginning with the influence of gospel music on the early Civil Rights movement and ending with modern media culture and the worldwide movement against corporate globalization. All of his points are supported by a level of research and analysis that can only be achieved through decades of work. To me, this is where the book commands respect. He tells the story with such an academic accuracy that it's easy to find yourself in awe of the knowledge. There are many points in the reading where it is downright overwhelming. Make no mistake; this is not a book about hippies singing anti-war songs around a campfire. This book provides factual analysis of each movement and how it was influenced by art as well as what art the movement itself influenced. He's careful to point out that he is just an observer and is giving the perspective of an observer, but it is clear from the beginning that his knowledge level is not that of the casual observer. Nor is he painting all of the protests with the same light; in chapter 6 he takes "charity rock" to task for being disingenuous and poorly executed. Reed says of the two biggest "charity rock" albums of the 80s, "Taken together, these two records could be said to add up to this message, 'We' [in the West] are the world, and 'they' [in Africa] don't even know it's Christmas." (Pg. 161) He goes on to deconstruct the movement down to its core atoms and criticize it for failing to focus its power where it really counts, on the governments that allowed Apartheid. However, he is fair. He praises the movement for the astonishing amount of money it raised. He also doesn't shy away from showing support for the movements he feels were better organized and more successful. He writes with zeal when describing the activist group ACT UP and the bold methods used to increase AIDS awareness in the shadow of Reaganites and the conservative political machine of the 80s. Sadly, this is one of the few chapters of the book where he displays any passion. The final chapter is "Reflections on the Cultural Study of Social Movements." Here he finishes up his academic analysis of culture, art and social movements. Again, the level of knowledge is staggering and his ability to break something so large down to a logical process is brilliant. I have little criticism for the structure of this book. The writing is great. It has a natural flow that makes it an easy read, which is good because I had to read some parts several times to understand them. I think the title could be considered misleading. One might think a book about activism, art and culture would be written with some kind of passion, whereas Reed's take is purely factual. It is a sterile, matter-of-fact look at how art and culture have shaped American activism. At the end of the day, this is an excellent textbook. If you have to write a paper on the structure of protest, activism and culture, this is the book for you. I doubt there is a better one in circulation. However, if you want to know what it's like to protest, if you desire to know what it feels like to have so much passion for a cause that you need to push back against the establishment, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-09-20 00:00:00 Robert Van Horn It was difficult to read because of the seriousness of the content matter but it was very informative and moving. An excellent view of extremely important parts of American history. Also great if you are thinking of getting involved in any modern movements or protests as an idea book.