Ferris, author of Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues Tupelo Man is essential reading for all who wish to understand the "New South" and how the region's future can and should be shaped. Robert Blade's beautifully written book offers an inspiring look at how McLean expressed his strong socialist views as editor of his small-town newspaper, the Tupelo Daily Journal. Tupelo Man is a fascinating portrait of George McLean, whose courageous commitment to social justice transformed Tupelo, Mississippi, into a thriving economic and cultural center. In addition to enabling us better to understand and appreciate the contributions of this fervent and forceful man, this volume also serves as a fascinating chronicle of some of the otherwise unrecorded but nevertheless significant events that marked this transitional period in our history. Superbly written from the unique perspective of his son-in-law, this candid biography of George McLean ought to be required reading for every citizen who is looking for a model in fearless, incorruptible and visionary civic leadership. This is a captivating account of the career of one of Mississippi's legendary journalists and community leaders. Smith, Journal of Mississippi History, Vol. In addition to revealing the life and times of this 'most peculiar newspaper publisher,' this book is an important work on northeast Mississippi'. Tupelo Man looks at this far-from-ordinary publisher in an intimate way that offers a fascinating story and insight into our own lives and times. "I don't know why I was born with this chip on my shoulder," he told her. His wife, whom he deeply loved in his prickly way, left him once and threatened to leave again. He was distant and aloof toward his two children-adopted through a notorious Memphis baby selling operation. He prayed about his temper, with little result. He didn't want a bigger slice of the pie for himself, he said he wanted a bigger pie for all.īut McLean (1904-1983) was far from a saint. " As he struggled to keep the paper going, his Christian socialism evolved into a Christian capitalism that transformed the region. In dirt-poor Northeast Mississippi, the Tupelo Journal was for sale, and McLean used his wife's money to buy what he called "a bankrupt newspaper from a bankrupt bank. In the Depression's depths, he was fired from a teaching job at what is now Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, over his socialist ideas and labor organizing work.īy 1934 he decided he had enough of working for others and that he would go into business for himself. As vividly recounted in the first biography of this significant figure in Southern history, Tupelo Man: The Life and Times of a Most Peculiar Newspaper Publisher, McLean drifted through schools and jobs, always questioning authority, always searching for a way to put his restless vision into practical use. They changed George McLean's.īut not instantly. In 1924, George McLean, an Ole Miss sophomore and the spoiled son of a judge, attended a YMCA student mission conference whose free-thinking organizers aimed to change the world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |