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Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation Hardcover – Illustrated, February 12, 2019

by Steve Luxenberg (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 222 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
See all formats and editions
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A New York Times Editors' Choice

A myth-shattering narrative of how a nation embraced "separation" and its pernicious consequences.

Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case synonymous with “separate but equal,” created remarkably little stir when the justices announced their near-unanimous decision on May 18, 1896. Yet it is one of the most compelling and dramatic stories of the nineteenth century, whose outcome embraced and protected segregation, and whose reverberations are still felt into the twenty-first.

Separate spans a striking range of characters and landscapes, bound together by the defining issue of their time and ours―race and equality. Wending its way through a half-century of American history, the narrative begins at the dawn of the railroad age, in the North, home to the nation’s first separate railroad car, then moves briskly through slavery and the Civil War to Reconstruction and its aftermath, as separation took root in nearly every aspect of American life.

Award-winning author Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries, and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case. Separate depicts indelible figures such as the resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans, led by Louis Martinet, a lawyer and crusading newspaper editor; Homer Plessy’s lawyer, Albion Tourgée, a best-selling author and the country’s best-known white advocate for civil rights; Justice Henry Billings Brown, from antislavery New England, whose majority ruling endorsed separation; and Justice John Harlan, the Southerner from a slaveholding family whose singular dissent cemented his reputation as a steadfast voice for justice.

Sweeping, swiftly paced, and richly detailed, Separate provides a fresh and urgently-needed exploration of our nation’s most devastating divide.

22 black and white photographs
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  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    February 12, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.6 x 1.6 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393239373
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393239379
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Absorbing....so many surprises, absurdities and ironies....Segregation is not one story but many. Luxenberg has written his with energy, elegance and a heart aching for a world without it.”
- James Goodman, New York Times Book Review

“Luxenberg has chosen a fresh way to tell the story of Plessy....Separate is deeply researched, and it wears its learning lightly. It's a storytelling kind of book....[He] skillfully works the military and the political background into his narrative.”
- Louis Menand, The New Yorker

“[Luxenberg] is a fine writer who tells this story in an engaging manner....Separate reminds us that our history is not simply a narrative of greater and greater freedom.”
- Eric Foner, Washington Post

“Offers a striking view of Reconstruction and of the tragic stillbirth of freedom in that era....Luxenberg writes at the outset of his book that the story of Plessy is a reminder that ‘history is made, not ordained.’ In his moving portrait of the many figures who played a role in the case, he confirms that idea as well as another: that even the most hopeless fool’s errand can emerge, in time, as an unassailable triumph.”
- Charles S. Dameron, Wall Street Journal

“A dazzlingly well-reported chronicle of an important period....Luxenberg repeatedly manages to tell us stories that capture both the hope and hopelessness that has been central to America’s long argument about race....An eye-opening journey through some of the darkest passages and haunting corridors of American history.”
- Terence Samuel, NPR

“A surprising, compelling, and brilliant milestone in understanding the history of race relations in America.”
- Bob Woodward, author of Fear: Trump in the White House

“Riveting and deeply researched, Separate tells the story surrounding one of the nation’s most devastating acts: drawing a sharp color line between black and white after the Civil War. The Plessy case was a knife that cleaved America, and Steve Luxenberg brilliantly reveals that divide with his rich narrative of admirable and flawed characters caught in the battle over racial justice. Every paragraph resonates in today’s headlines.”
- Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs, and professor of history, Tulane University

“Forensically researched, deeply moving, devastatingly relevant.”
- Katherine Boo, author of Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

“This is a compulsively readable work of serious history, the absorbing and timely story of a disastrous U.S. Supreme Court decision, freshly told through the lives of those directly involved. Steve Luxenberg’s scholarship is deep and impressive; his writing even more so. This is history as it was lived, giving us a sense not only of the deep racism of the period, but the struggle of decent men and women to overcome it, in society and, most importantly, in themselves.”
- Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down and Hue 1968: A Turning Point in the American War in Vietnam

“A magisterial assessment of a U.S. Supreme Court’s grievous moral collapse...a definitive work on the 1896 legal drama that afflicts us to this day.”
- David Simon, author and creator of HBO's The Wire

“Offers a striking view of Reconstruction and of the tragic stillbirth of freedom in that era....Luxenberg writes at the outset of his book that the story of Plessy is a reminder that ‘history is made, not ordained.’ In his moving portrait of the many figures who played a role in the case, he confirms that idea as well as another: that even the most hopeless fool’s errand can emerge, in time, as an unassailable triumph.” — Charles S. Dameron, Wall Street Journal



“A dazzlingly well-reported chronicle of an important period....Luxenberg repeatedly manages to tell us stories that capture both the hope and hopelessness that has been central to America’s long argument about race....An eye-opening journey through some of the darkest passages and haunting corridors of American history.” — Terence Samuel, NPR

About the Author

Steve Luxenberg is the author of Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation and the critically acclaimed Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret. During his thirty years as a Washington Post senior editor, he has overseen reporting that has earned numerous national honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (February 12, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393239373
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393239379
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.6 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 222 ratings

About the author

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Steve Luxenberg

Steve Luxenberg

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Steve Luxenberg, an associate editor of The Washington Post, is an award-winning author and journalist. Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation, his second nonfiction book, won the 2016 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award, recognizing excellence in nonfiction writing.

His first nonfiction book, the critically-acclaimed Annie’s Ghosts, explored a family secret. It was honored as a Michigan Notable Book and selected as the 2013-2014 Great Michigan Read, making it the focus of a state-wide series of events throughout that year. A native of Detroit, he lives in Baltimore with his wife, Mary Jo Kirschman.

Follow him on Twitter, @SLuxenberg, and find out more about him and his books at his website, steveluxenberg.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
222 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book well-written, excellent, and extraordinary. They appreciate the vivid descriptions that make the reader understand not just what happened, but why it happened and how. Readers also find the content informative, interesting, and enjoyable. They are delighted with the exhaustive research and careful, colorful, and loving writing.

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12 customers mention "Readability"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, enjoyable, and extraordinary. They appreciate the vivid descriptions that make them understand not just what happened, but why it happened and how. Readers also mention the important topic is well-presented.

"...If you like a well-written story that's central to the story of our country, you will love this book as much as I do...." Read more

"...His vivid descriptions make the reader understand not just what happened, but why it happened and how each event affected the three principles..." Read more

"...Great book." Read more

"Wonderfully written story of the path to the Supreme Court for the Plessy v. Ferguson case. So many missed opportunities." Read more

3 customers mention "Content quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the content informative, interesting, and enjoyable. They appreciate the exhaustive research and careful, colorful writing. Readers also mention the book is loaded with facts, personality, and viewpoints.

"...But if you want to read compelling history told in a manner that is informative, interesting, and enjoyable, don't miss this book...." Read more

"...I am delighted with the exhaustive research and careful, colorful, even loving writing. The footnotes are not to be missed." Read more

"Excellent historical review. Loaded with facts, personality and viewpoint dispositions of the people of the times...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Donald E. Graham
5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
This wonderful book tells a story almost no one knows. I've spent my life reading books about American history but knew next to nothing about the famous Supreme Court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, the case that made segregation lawful until Brown vs. Board of Education swept it aside in 1954.

I worked for years with the author, Steve Luxenberg, but I am not writing this book to do him a favor--my intention is to do you a favor. If you like a well-written story that's central to the story of our country, you will love this book as much as I do.

Luxenberg tells the story through the biographies of several of the principles: Louis Martinet, a newspaper editor from New Orleans; Albion Tourgee, a famous novelist who pursued the misguided legal strategy that doggedly tried to get this case to the Supreme Court; Justice Henry Brown, whose preposterous majority opinion was the law of the land for almost 60 years; and the first Justice John Marshall Harlan, whom one comes away admiring to no end. He had the wisdom to write "In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case." The author is fair in describing all Harlan's faults, but to any reader of this book, he is a hero.

And so is the author. Steve Luxenberg is a gifted writer and he has a story to tell you. Do yourself a favor and read it.
47 people found this helpful
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amachinist
5.0 out of 5 stars Separate is Unequal: The Drama Unfolded
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2019
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The author sets the stage for one of the most important cases ever to appear before the US Supreme Court: Plessy vs. Ferguson decided on January 11, 1897. "Act one" is a comprehensive review of slavery and the separation of the races in the early 19th century. Here Steve Luxenberg introduces the main characters who play a role in this watershed court case. They include John Harlan, a Kentuckian whose family bought, sold and owned slaves. He was an attorney involved in local politics and took up the call to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Though Harlan did not anticipate or support the emancipation of slaves, he was more intent on the preservation of the Union. Henry Brown, born in Massachusetts and a graduate of Yale, paid to have a substitute serve in his place during the Civil War. He worked as an attorney in private practice and wrote a tome on admiralty law. Albion Tourgee served in the Union Army until he was wounded. He was a judge, author, orator and newspaper columnist who championed the rights for blacks before, during and after the Civil War.

"Act two" occurs during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Both Harlan and Tourgee saw the bravery of negro soldiers fighting for the Union. For Harlan the shedding of their lifes' blood by colored soldiers entitled them to the full rights and privileges of all citizens. Tourgee chose to live in North Carolina after the Civil War. He railed and wrote against the widespread prejudice, poverty, violence and murder of blacks during Reconstruction. He advocated for Federal funds to support schools for blacks. He strongly believed that education would help the emancipation of colored people.

How did both Harlan and Brown come to sit on the Supreme Court? "Act three" is fascinating because their nominations and approval by the Senate were so very different from the very public and politicized selection of today's Supreme Court Justices.

The "final act" is, in the opinion of this reviewer, the most interesting. Civil Rights advocates decided to promote equal rights by challenging the Jim Crow train cars in Louisiana that blacks were required to ride in. These cars were used for smokers as well, so they were smelly, dirty and less comfortable than the cars for whites. Jim Crow cars had been abolished in northeastern states since before the Civil War. It was up to the train conductor to determine the race of a passenger and enforce where he or she could sit. Louisiana was the perfect locale to challenge the racial laws because so many freed blacks had intermarried with whites in that state starting in the 18th century. Every shade of human skin was evident in Louisiana especially in New Orleans. Homer Plessy, a 29 year old, volunteered to be the test case in an intrastate trip he hoped to take in June 1892. Because the light-skinned Plessy refused to leave his seat in the whites only car, he was arrested. The case was tried locally with John H. Ferguson as the state judge. It took four and a half years for the case to make its way to the US Supreme Court. Robert Brown wrote the majority decision. He interpreted both the XIII and XIV Amendments to the US Constitution very narrowly. It was he who intoned the acceptability of "separate but equal" accommodations. John Harlan wrote the sole minority opinion in which he called the majority ruling "...an assault on the Constitution ...Our Constitution is color blind and neither knows not tolerates classes among citizens." Some sixty years later in 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously embraced the depth and breadth of the XIV Amendment when it ruled in the school integration case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Separate could never be equal; it was just separate. Since the author did such an excellent job in the Plessy vs. Ferguson case, this reviewer ardently hopes that he selects the Brown vs. Board of Education for his next writing project.
20 people found this helpful
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Ronald H. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars The complete story of Plessy v. Ferguson and "separate but equal" in American law
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2019
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There are any number of studies of the Supreme Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson which held that "separate but equal" was constitutional in railroad transportation, a doctrine that was applied consistently in many areas (including public education) until the 1954 Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. This very long book (505 pages of text; 58 pages of notes) approaches the topic from an unique perspective, somewhat broader than a traditional legal history would.

The author begins his study in 1833, with Massachusetts railroads segregating passengers by race, and traces this practice up until 1896. Moreover, he focuses upon three key players in the Plessy drama--Justices John Marshall Harlan and Henry Billings Brown, and Albion W. Tourgee (who lost the case) through extensive biographical studies. In short, the author here is devoted to establishing the context of the case and the individual histories of these three actors going all the way back to 1833. He demonstrates that to really understand this case, you have to do a lot more than merely read the Court's decision.

The author's discussions of the two Justices, especially Harlan, are outstanding. While there is not much to Brown, who wrote the 8-1 decision upholding the practice, Harlan is a fascinating character. While fighting on the Union side in the Civil War in Kentucky, he never opposed slavery and hoped Lincoln would just restore the status quo ante and not interfere in his state. He was certainly no "flaming liberal" and how he came to write his dissent in well covered in the book. Tourgee was a driven opponent of the practice, especially after having lived in North Carolina for 17 years after the war. He really achieved fame not for his work in this case, but as a best selling novelist. While his arguments to the Court were sound, he was way ahead of his time. Any analysis of the Court by Tourgee and his allies would have to have demonstrated clearly that their chances were zero with the Court's membership. It seems the Justices simply didn't see what injury was inflicted by "Jim Crow cars." I think this is why Chief Justice Warren in his opinion striking the practice in public education placed reliance upon sociological evidence (such as the "black doll" studies by Kenneth Clark) to demonstrate the severe emotional injuries inflicted upon segregated school children.

One of the most interesting things I learned was that the Plessy case was a fully staged test casewith with both sides (including the railroad) working together to present the issue to the Court. The book is not blessed with extensive legal analysis--but that is not why you read this study. What the author gets to better than anything else I have read, is "the story behind the story" regarding the case. If you really, really want to understand what Plessy is all about, this is the book to read. What happened in 1896 is not so much the story as is why it happened. That is what this fine book is all about.
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Ray Contreras
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2020
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Trying to understand why men would rule in such a case that divide America more than 100 years ago, I guess History does repeat itself, when on part of the government can change how we will, and what cannot do, ******* ray
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