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"A good organizer is a social arsonist who goes around setting people on fire."—Fred Ross
Raised by conservative parents who hoped he would “stay with his own kind,” Fred Ross instead became one of the most influential community organizers in American history. His activism began alongside Dust Bowl migrants, where he managed the same labor camp that inspired John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. During World War II, Ross worked for the release of interned Japanese Americans, and after the war, he dedicated his life to building the political power of Latinos across California. Labor organizing in this country was forever changed when Ross knocked on the door of a young Cesar Chavez and encouraged him to become an organizer.
Until now there has been no biography of Fred Ross, a man who believed a good organizer was supposed to fade into the crowd as others stepped forward. In America’s Social Arsonist, Gabriel Thompson provides a full picture of this complicated and driven man, recovering a forgotten chapter of American history and providing vital lessons for organizers today.
Raised by conservative parents who hoped he would “stay with his own kind,” Fred Ross instead became one of the most influential community organizers in American history. His activism began alongside Dust Bowl migrants, where he managed the same labor camp that inspired John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. During World War II, Ross worked for the release of interned Japanese Americans, and after the war, he dedicated his life to building the political power of Latinos across California. Labor organizing in this country was forever changed when Ross knocked on the door of a young Cesar Chavez and encouraged him to become an organizer.
Until now there has been no biography of Fred Ross, a man who believed a good organizer was supposed to fade into the crowd as others stepped forward. In America’s Social Arsonist, Gabriel Thompson provides a full picture of this complicated and driven man, recovering a forgotten chapter of American history and providing vital lessons for organizers today.
Price: $24.95
Pages: 296
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Publication Date:
02 April 2019
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780520306196
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
"Those who know the name Fred Ross probably identify him as 'the man who taught Cesar Chavez how to organize,' as he was once dubbed by The Chronicle. Most Californians probably have never heard of him. Gabriel Thompson’s superb new biography of Ross, 'America’s Social Arsonist: Fred Ross and Grassroots Organizing in the Twentieth Century,' will be fascinating for both groups. The author sheds new light on the life of a man whose presence was behind the scenes but whose work ended up in the headlines. . . . Thompson has plumbed Ross’ extensive notes and files to relay vivid accounts of his experiences and insight into his ideas. During his half century as an organizer, Ross pioneered tactics that are widely used today. 'But,' asserts Thompson, 'his greatest legacy is in the people he inspired and mentored who went on to shape California and U.S. history.'"
Gabriel Thompson is a Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing at San Jose State University. He is the author of several books, including Working in the Shadows, and has written for Harper’s, New York, Mother Jones, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Nation.