Hearing the Other Side or Ikes Final Battle

Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative Versus Participatory Democracy

Author: Diana C Mutz

'Religion and politics', as the old saying goes, 'should never be discussed in mixed company.'And yet fostering discussions that cross lines of political difference has long been a central concern of political theorists. More recently, it has also become a cause célèbre for pundits and civic-minded citizens wanting to improve the health of American democracy. But only recently have scholars begun empirical investigations of where and with what consequences people interact with those whose political views differ from their own. Hearing the Other Side examines this theme in the context of the contemporary United States. It is unique in its effort to link political theory with empirical research. Drawing on her empirical work, Mutz suggests that it is doubtful that an extremely activist political culture can also be a heavily deliberative one.

Table of Contents:

1. Hearing the other side, in theory and in practice;
2. Encountering mixed political company: with whom and in what context?;
3. Benefits of hearing the other side;
4. The dark side of mixed political company;
5. The social citizen.

Interesting textbook: Barbecue Biscuits and Beans or Outdoor Tables and Tales

Ike's Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality

Author: Kasey S Pipes

He called it one of the hardest things he ever did - as difficult as leading the D-Day invasion. When Dwight Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to integrate Central High School in September 1957, he couldn't know that he was fighting the last great battle of his career...one that would change forever both him and his country. This is the story of how one of America's greatest leaders confronted America's greatest sin. This is the unlikely tale of how Ike became a civil rights president.

Ike's Last Battle represents a revolution in scholarship on Eisenhower and civil rights. Though not uncritical, the book credits his steady personal advance on the issue as well as his accomplishments in the military and as president.

Drawing on thousands of primary documents (including newly released material), Ike's Last Battle builds to its climax at Little Rock - one of the most pivotal events of the civil rights movement. Little Rock is at the epicenter, but the book will also look at the cause, and the aftermath.

• * With the 50th Anniversary of Little Rock approaching in 2007, the timing is perfect. This is the last priceless nugget of civil rights history.
• * The book draws on thousands of newly released documents, many never before made public.
• * This is the first book on the subject in 25 years. It disproves the claim that that Ike didn't care about civil rights.

Wall Street Journal - Fred Barnes

Mr. Pipes is not a professional historian. He is a public-relations consultant and speechwriter who worked in the Bush White House from 2002 to 2005. But he has written a highly readable and credible account of Eisenhower's struggle with race and civil rights. While sympathetic, he doesn't sugarcoat Eisenhower's qualms about desegregation or excuse his unwillingness to move decisively before Little Rock.