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| Plot Summary of You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train |
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"In a tidy autobiography, the emeritus professor of political science and celebrated author of _A People's History of the United States_ tells the story of his life in terms of the big issues he engaged with other colorful activists: civil rights, the Vietnam War, labor and social justice. The son of poor working-class immigrants in Brooklyn, Zinn worked in the shipyards, became a bombardier in a B-17 during the Second World War, and then went to court and jail many times in the struggles of the 1960s and 70s. There are terrific stories about the heroes (such as Daniel Berrigan) and villains (Sheriff Cull Campbell of Albany, Georgia; dictatorial Boston University president John Silber) of these controversies. The thread that runs through all these stories is how a few common people can make a difference in history if they put their mind to it and work together."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Political/social rights fight
Yes
Plotlet:
- fighting for social change
- minorities fighting for rights
- union leaders fighting for labor rights
- fighting for free speech/press
- fights between different pol/social groups
- fighting discrim. (other than racial/gender)
job/profession:
- teacher
Gender/Class story?
- story of lower class
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
If this is a culture clash:
- minority culture living in majority area
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
War/Cloak & Dagger story?
- Fought as soldier
War/Spying
Yes
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher/professor
Age:
- long lived adults
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Deep South
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Southeast Asia
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel?
- encouraged
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- Dry-cynical
- gentle
Commentary on society?
Yes
Commentary on
- race
- decency
- selfishness
- capitalism
- war
- justice system
Writer's slant towards subject:
- very favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Autobiography?
Yes
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 0-25% of book
How much is philosophy rather than life story?
- 0-25% of book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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