Eric Frederick Goldman (1916–1989)

4551. Rendezvous With Destiny, by Eric F. Goldman (read 29 Mar 2009) (Bancroft Prize in 1953) I read this book because it was a co-winner of the 1953 Bancroft Prize. It is a survey of liberalism's ups and downs since Grant's time. Some of it is pretty dry, and pretty academic, but the account of the time after World War One up to 1952 (the date it was first published) is attention-holding. As a liberal I did not disagree with most of what the author said, though I found some of the positions of liberals during and after World War II not in accord with my liberal views. For instance, I did not think Truman's loyalty program was to be deprecated. But I of course agreed with the liberals' view of Henry Wallace in 1948, and gloried anew over the sweetness of Harry Truman's 1948 victory. The book does not foresee how Truman's stock has risen in the years since. An old book, but pleasant to read for a guy like me who calls himself a 1948 liberal. Also noteworthy on how little attention is paid to civil rights of Negroes--to become so prominent after Brown v. Board of Education.… (meer)