EINSTEIN ON RACE AND RACISM

Book ID/图书代码： 04958010B36121

English Summary/英文概要： Nearly fifty years after his death, Albert Einstein remains one of America’s foremost cultural icons. A thicket of materials, ranging from scholarly to popular, have been written, compiled, produced, and published about his life and his teachings. Among the ocean of Einsteinia-scientific monographs, biographies, anthologies, bibliographies, calendars, postcards, posters, and Hollywood films-however, there is a peculiar void when it comes to the connection that the brilliant scientist had with the African American community. Nowhere is there any mention of his close relationship with Paul Robeson, despite Einstein’s close friendship with him, or W.E.B. Du Bois, despite Einstein’s support for him.

This unique volume is the first to bring together a wealth of writings by the scientist on the topic of race. Although his activism in this area is less well known than his efforts on behalf of international peace and scientific cooperation, Einstein spoke out vigorously against racism both in the United States and around the world. Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor suggest that one explanation for this historical amnesia is that Einstein’s biographers avoided "controversial" topics, such as his friendships with African Americans and his political activities, including his involvement as co-chair of an antilynching campaign, fearing that mention of these details may tarnish the feel-good impression his image lends topics of science, history, and America.

Combining the scientist’s letters, speeches, and articles with engaging narrative and historical discussions that place his public statements in the context of his life and times, this important collection not only brings attention to Einstein’s antiracist public activities, but also provides insight into the complexities of antiracist culture in America. The volume also features a selection of candid interviews with African Americans who knew Einstein as children.

For a man whose words and reflections have influenced so many, it is long overdue that Einstein’s thoughts on this vital topic are made easily accessible to the general public.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 雖然已經辭世了近半個世紀的時間，但阿爾伯特.愛因斯坦卻始終作為美國最為知名的文化人物而備受世人敬仰。而圍繞著其生平以及學說，學術界還有大眾媒體都陸陸續續推出了名目繁多的書籍來加以介紹。針對愛因斯坦而出版的刊物等猶如過江之鯽一般難以複數 - 論文、傳記、選集、文獻、月曆、明信片、海報、甚至還有好萊塢電影等等 - 但是，當話題涉及到這位科學天才與美國黑人群體間的特殊關係之時，相關報導卻幾乎就是一片空白。
儘管愛因斯坦與美國黑人男低音歌唱家保羅.羅伯遜之間保持著良好的關係，經管愛因斯坦還對美國著名黑人知識份子威廉.愛得華.伯格哈特.杜波依斯亦深表理解和支持，但是這些事跡卻鮮有人提及。本書首次將愛因斯坦筆下針對種族問題所撰寫的大量文章予以了披露。為了國際和平與科學合作，經管愛因斯坦在這一領域所作出的貢獻幾乎鮮有人知，但不管是在美國國內還是國際舞臺上，他都曾不遺餘力地公開表達過對於種族主義的反對。通過他的信箋、演講以及文章，本書不僅給了世人一次目睹愛因斯坦，這位人類歷史上偉大的科學家，其在反對種族主義方面的所做出的不懈努力；同時又對美國國內的反種族主義抗爭進行了一次更為深刻的洞悉。(ANDY)

Awards/获奖情况：Danny Glover, the actor and producer, has bought the film rights for that book, and his company, Louverture Films (you can check their website for more about them) has hired a screenwriter and a director and is into the process of creating the movie. The movie will focus on the friendship between Einstein and Paul Robeson, a big part of our book (although never mentioned before in any other book about Einstein). Hosei University Press put a picture of Robeson on their bookjacket. (此书的电影版权已售，正在进行拍摄，电影主要讲的是 Einstein 和 Paul Robeson 两人间的友谊，和这本书的很多内容有关。)

Praise for Einstein on Race and Racism
"A fascinating and timely upgrade to our current perceptions of Einstein, redeemed from the careful silences of official narrative. Allowing the voices of the people who lived it to tell the story, Jerome and Taylor have brilliantly given us back a part of our history, refocusing attention on the heart and soul of what Einstein’s life was always about." ---Thomas Pynchon

"As any reader of Faulkner knows, Princeton University before the Second World War was a southern university, and the town of Princeton adopted corresponding racial attitudes. In 1933 into this community came Albert Einstein, fresh from cosmopolitan Weimar Berlin and with the example of how Nazi anti-Semitism was helping to destroy all that was best in German culture. This book tells the story of how he reacted to the racism he saw around him, and to the fight-back against it by Princeton’s long-established black community. It is a fascinating story and, unfortunately for our country, it is not just history but a contribution to contemporary struggles against American racism, at home and abroad."---John Stachel, director of the Center for Einstein Studies, Boston University, and founding editor of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein

"Racism in America depends for its survival in large part on the smothering of antiracist voices, especially when those voices come from popular and widely respected individuals-like Albert Einstein. This book, then, aspires to be part of a grand unsmothering."---from the Preface

About the Author/作者介绍： Fred Jerome is the author of The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret War against the World’s Most Famous Scientist. A veteran journalist and science writer, his articles and op-ed pieces have appeared in dozens of publications, including Newsweek, Technology Review, and the New York Times. He has taught journalism at Columbia Journalism School, New York University, and numerous other New York-area universities.
Rodger Taylor, a supervising branch librarian with the New York Public Library, is also a freelance writer. His articles on city life, early African American New York, and the African Burial Ground have been published in local newspapers and magazines, including several in New York Newsday.

Format:照片

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

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