by Larry Tye
First published 2004
Larry Tye chronicles how George Pullman transformed the railroad industry by hiring Southern blacks as porters for his luxury sleeping cars. Former slaves escaped Jim Crow restrictions by accepting jobs that required them to serve as maids, waiters, concierges, and caretakers to white passengers. The Pullman Company became the largest employer of African American men by the 1920s. Tye documents how these workers created their own culture, developed specialized language, and shared stories about legendary figures like Daddy Jim, the first Pullman porter. The author reveals how porters learned to navigate difficult passengers they called "Mister Charlie" and identified generous celebrities like Humphrey Bogart versus stingy ones like Babe Ruth. Through extensive interviews with porters and their families, Tye demonstrates how these men carried jazz and blues music across the country, established America's first black trade union, and became pioneers of the modern black middle class.
Genres: history, 20th-century, african-american, biography-memoir, american-history
Vibes: informative, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-change, underdog
Setting: United States
Period: 1920s
336 pages · Hardcover · Henry Holt and Co.
Content warnings: racism