New This Week: July 1st

This week we have two new releases that delve deep into the intersections of race, politics, and personal identity in the American South and beyond. In Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia by Krystyn R. Moon examines the history of Alexandria’s African American community from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. Meanwhile, Brother Outsider, Brother Insider: A Political Biography of Lawrence Guyot Jr. by Chris Danielson reintroduces us Lawrence Thomas Guyot Jr., a pivotal yet under recognized figure in the civil rights movement.

Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia by Krystyn R. Moon

“Proximity to Power is the first major history of Alexandria, Virginia, highlighting its crucial role at the crossroads of US nationalism and the African American struggle for freedom. Krystyn Moon skillfully blends southern, urban, and suburban history with public history to explore how the Black community in Alexandria navigated its proximity to federal power, creating a deeply researched narrative that captures the city’s uniquely dynamic relationship with Washington, DC.”—Andrew Friedman, Haverford College

“Krystyn Moon creatively explores the role of African Americans and their community organizations as they navigated and challenged racial issues and federal power in the District of Columbia. As a result, her book is timely, insightful, and persuasive.”—LaDale Winling, Virginia Tech

Brother Outsider, Brother Insider: A Political Biography of Lawrence Guyot Jr. by Chris Danielson

“In covering the political and activist life of Lawrence Guyot Jr., this book makes a significant contribution to the intellectual history of the civil rights movement in Mississippi and beyond.”—J. Todd Moye, University of North Texas

“Chris Danielson offers readers insight into the origins, development, and disintegration of one of the boldest political experiments in the civil rights movement through the lens of one of its most important and least well known leaders.”—Patricia Boyett, Loyola University New Orleans