 | Witnesses to the Struggle Subjects: Public opinion; Agricultural laborers; Performing arts; Strikes and lockouts in literature.; Strikes and lockouts; Strikes and lockouts; A study of the artistic and literary responses to the Depression-era labor crises of the Golden State. Anne Loftis focuses on the work and activities of John Steinbeck, Carey McWilliams, Paul Taylor, and Dorothea Lange, who brought the story of California's labor struggles to the rest of the country. The realism and documentary expression of their art grew out of their personal involvement in the problems of society, and Loftis explores the lasting influence of their work. One of Steinbeck's unintended legacies was his treatment of California farm workers as victims--the simple pawns of larger forces. In her balanced and intriguing study Loftis reveals that the workers were not victims, but rather the strong and resourceful creators of their own histories. Anne Loftis was born in New York City in 1922, graduated from Smith College in 1944, and worked as a journalist and researcher after moving to California in 1954. She was research assistant to sociologist Paul Taylor for many years and is the daughter of the noted historian Allan Nevins. She is the co-author of The Great Betrayal: The Evacuation of Japanese-Americans During World War II , A Long Time Coming: The Struggle to Unionize America's Farm Workers, and the author of California, Where the Twain Did Meet . |
