From Library Journal
An earlier work of political scientists Earl and Merle Black examined the relationship between social and political change in the South ( Politics and Society in the South , Harvard Univ. Pr., 1987). In their latest book, the authors focus on presidential elections and the South's role in them, especially since Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs of the 1960s. They find a solidly Republican South that has served as a dependable base for the victorious campaigns of Nixon, Reagan, and Bush. The Blacks argue that for Democratic candidates to have a realistic chance of competing effectively with their opponents nationally, they must develop broader electoral support in the South. In particular, Democratic candidates will need to not only retain the support of black and core white Democrats, but they must also find ways of reaching out to white Southern moderates. A necessary addition to university library political science collections.
-Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, LafayetteCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Among the several useful and perceptive books about American politics that have of late been published,
The Vital South stands out not merely for the acuity of its analysis but for the broad statistical evidence upon which that analysis is based. For strategists in both parties and for interested observers on the sidelines, it is essential reading. (Jonathan Yardley
Washington Post Book World )
The Blacks clearly map out the past and current political terrain...their masterful book is must reading for anyone who takes the American political process seriously. (S. Keith Graham
Atlanta Journal Constitution )
The Vital South is... a fascinating and fundamental exposition of the pot of gold at the end of the Southern rainbow and how it got there... The longer historic record of Southern cohesion is awesome and the Blacks tell the story well...
The Vital South is well organized by historic and partisan divisions. (Martin F. Nolan
Boston Globe )
