| Book Review | The Michigan Historical Review, 34.2

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| Book Review | The Michigan Historical Review, 34.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Reviews

David Barber. A Hard Rain Fell: SDS and Why It Failed. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. Pp. 286. Bibliography. Index. Notes. Cloth, $50.00.

Books about the New Left seem to portray radical movements of the sixties as either a success or a failure. David Barber's A Hard Rain Fell: SDS and Why It Failed obviously fits in the latter category. Barber argues that the New Left's adherence to established perceptions of race, gender, class, and nation ultimately led to its demise. He contends that the perspective of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) on race, more than any other factor, was the reason for its downfall. As a result of internal racism, the organization failed to acknowledge blacks' crucial involvement in the movement, Black Power's ability to lead the revolution, and the connections between imperialism abroad and capitalism at home. The organization's refusal to eliminate "white supremacy" within its ranks prevented any substantial social or political improvements. Referencing this conservatism, Barber writes, "The New Left failed not because it was too radical in its support of the black nationalist movement but because it was not radical enough" (p. 15).

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