Separate

An ambitious and deeply researched nonfiction account.... [Luxenberg] draws on letters, diaries and archival collections to bring the true story to life. -- Suzanne Van Atten - Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Luxenberg] is a fine writer... Separate reminds us that our history is not simply a narrative of greater and greater freedom. -- Eric Foner - The Washington Post In documenting this country's fateful journey from slavery through thwarted Reconstruction to segregation, Luxenberg paints on a broad canvas, elegantly narrating several captivating and scrupulously researched stories that converge in Plessy v. Ferguson.... [F]ascinating. -- Steve Nathans-Kelly - New York Journal of Books Informative, engaging, exquisitely written, sensitive to individuals' frailties, flaws, and inconsistencies, by turns inspiring and dispiriting, Separate is a splendid work of history. -- Glenn C. Altschuler - Florida Courier In Separate, the context and aftermath of the court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson are woven into a nuanced history of America's struggles in the 19th century as a civil war was fought, slavery ended and a new, complex racial politics haltingly took form. -- The Economist Luxenberg gives a three-dimensional and almost novelistic treatment to the players involved, drawing on diaries, letters and archival research. -- Joumana Khatib - The New York Times Separate vividly tells the story of how far our country had to go to repudiate its commitments to a racial double standard. -- David Cole - The Nation A striking view of Reconstruction and of the tragic stillbirth of freedom in that era. -- Charles S. Dameron - Wall Street Journal Deeply researched, and it wears its learning lightly. -- Louis Menand - The New Yorker Dazzlingly well-reported.... [A]n eye-opening journey through some of the darkest passages and haunting corridors of American history. -- Terence Samuel - NPR