Peekskill, 1949, provides a gripping glimpse of the political temperature of the time, soon to be exploited by the infamous McCarthy hearings. Author Fast was one of the participants in both bloody Peekskill events of that Cold War year. On August 27, legendary basso Paul Robeson was scheduled to perform at a picnic in the Peekskill area. His well-known leftist politics attracted both Left and Right. What ensued was a planned assault by right-wing vigilantes on picnic-goers, with the apparent connivance of local law enforcement. Fast describes these scenes in gripping first-person detail. The second battle, on September 4, occurred when Robeson supporters rescheduled his aborted first appearance, and were again set upon, again with the connivance of local officials. Cars were smashed, heads broken, while police looked on.
Fast makes clear the generally fascistic tone of both assaults, replete with the anti-Semitic and racial epithets hurled at mixed-race concert-goers. Coming on the heels of WWII, he understandably draws parallels here with the rise of Nazism in Europe. At times, however, his counter-invective reflects a highly agitated emotional state, unusual for a historical document. Still, the work amounts to an invaluable glimpse of an America most of us would just as soon not think about. The slender booklet also includes revealing photos, plus official post-mortems that lend credibility to Fast's generally first-person account.
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Andy HowellBewertet in den USA am14. Oktober 2019
American fascists terrorize citizens
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Jeffrey SweetBewertet in den USA am2. Januar 2013
Vivid first-person view of an important piece of postwar history
