Jackson, 1964

Trillin is that rare journalist with a novelist's eye for character motivation and irony. He is also able to make historical details fascinating and give you greater respect for relentless research.

The most unnerving aspect of these stories that date from 1964 is how little we've progressed as a society. Race in America is still the schism responsible for our greatest injustices. Those crimes may get greater airplay today, but we use the same corrupt, systematic processes to assure they're left unresolved in order to protect the status quo. Read these stories and ask yourself what we've really accomplished since 1964.