Spiders in the House and Workers in the Field

Spiders in the House and Workers in the Field by Ernesto Galarza. Published by University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, IN, 1970. 1st Edition. Hardbound, no DJ. Size 8vo (up to 9-1/2'' tall). Condition: Nr Fine. Slight edge wear, content excellent. 306 Pgs. ISBN 0268004196. LCCN 77-105730. In this book, the author relates another ''installment'' in the ongoing farm labor story in California (a period from 1950 to 1960), the decade-long effort of the National Agricultural Workers Union to organize farm labor and the spider-like intrigues which frustrated it. In a sense, it is the pre-Chavez, pre-Delano phase of the story with which this work deals. Apart from its inherent interest and social and historical importance, it has special theoretical significance as a study of how institutionalized power - as represented in the courts and committees of the Congress - can be used on occasion to block the legitimate aspirations of impoverished farm workers to achieve self-organization. The story of this gallant effort is told here for the first time and, because of the author's personal involvement, told with a wealth of detail and close observation. Description text copyright 2005 BooksForComfort. Item ID 9352.