Books

Up South

By Matthew Countryman

Integrating urban history, civil rights, and black power, this well-researched book widens the chronological and geographical lens to Philadelphia in the 1970s. While Philadelphia is typically left out of this narrative, Up South chronicles two generations of black Philadelphians who sought to shape the City into a true “City of Brotherly Love” and opportunity for all. Notably Countryman challenges the idea that Black Power derailed Civil Rights and posits that these radical organizing efforts reshaped the City’s political landscape by railing against urban renewal, police brutality, and educational inequality.