Reviews
“Alan Reuther, who himself served the UAW for more than three decades, brings both insider insight and personal reflection to the biography. His dual perspective—both as a labor professional and a son—adds depth and authenticity to the narrative. His reflections in the prologue and throughout the text speak directly to today’s activists engaged in the ongoing fight for workers’ rights, voting access, and social justice.”
ILR Book Review by Mark Strolle
Book Review by Ray Marshall, former Secretary of Labor
“The UAW not only developed the strategies to overcome strong and violent opposition to unions, but also educated members, formed political alliances with the civil rights and other pro-democracy forces, and taught workers the value of democracy as a way to close the gap between the American ideal of freedom, equity and justice for all and the reality of denying these rights to many of our citizens.”
“Roy Reuther and the UAW therefore provides a useful guide for what democratic organizations like the UAW and leaders like the Reuther brothers might do to help strengthen American democracy.”
City Pulse Spring Book Highlight by Bill Castanier
“Alan Reuther tells the story of his father, the younger brother of Walter Reuther, the UAW’s president from 1946 to 1970. Much has been written about Walter, but this new book fills in important gaps in the often-overlooked role of his younger brother. This is the story of a civil rights and union activist who literally put his life on the line to help create America’s middle class.”
An Impossible Dream? The Once & Future Labor Left by Peter Laarman
“And Roy Reuther was much more than a placeholder in his role as the union’s long-serving political director: he was the person primarily responsible for bringing out the critical union vote for JFK and LBJ. He was also the union’s direct liaison to Black civil rights leaders and later to the nascent United Farm Workers union (the administrative building at UFW headquarters in Delano, California, is named for Roy Reuther); he was instrumental in pushing through the Voting Rights Act and the creation of Medicaid and Medicare, all in one incredible year (1965).”
The Times Leader Press Release, The Reuther-Pollack Symposium
“As the brother of famed labor leader Walter Reuther, Roy was a key figure in the historic Flint sit-down strike that gave birth to the United Auto Workers (UAW). He became the political director of the UAW and was deeply involved in struggles to pass civil rights legislation. This book explores his passion for increasing voter participation and his vow to help downtrodden farmworkers.”
The Cambridge Day Interview, by Karenna Umscheid
“We caught up with the author to talk about researching and writing a personal and historical book and what he hopes a new generation of socialists and labor organizers can learn from his family’s history. ”