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The Long Haul: An Autobiography
In his own direct, modest, plain-spoken style, Myles Horton tells the story of the Highlander Folk School. A major catalyst for social change in the United States for more than sixty years, this school has touched the lives of so many people, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Pete Seeger. Filled with disarmingly honest insight and gentle humor, th...more
Paperback, 167 pages
Published
July 2nd 1997
by Teachers College Press
(first published 1990)
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"When you work toward equality, you have to devise some kind of structure in which there can be justice, but in the meantime you have to do the best you can in an unjust society. Sometimes that means that the laws you go by are moral laws instead of book laws. It isn't too complicated to get the principles of equality and justice and love, but to make these things function, you have to trust that people have the capacity to live that way and achieve that kind of society. This is hard to do, beca...more
I've been looking for some much-needed inspiration and vision in my life and work lately. As a second year social work graduate student, possibilities seem simultaneously promising and bleak. We spend many of our studying hours reading books that reference the work of Myles Horton and Paulo Freire, and much of our curricula is based on an 'empowerment' model that constantly references the work of the legendary progenitor of popular education, but doesn't require a grappling directly with his tex...more
Myles Horton is one of the largely unsung heroes of progressive social action in the United States over the last century. In the 1930's he and Don West started the Highlander Folk School, which later became the Highlander Research and Action Center, in New Market, TN. This "autobiography" is really a series of edited transcripts of recorded interviews conducted by Herb and Judith Kole. As such they tell a rough outline of Horton's life, but more importantly his perspective and outlook on social...more
This is a fascinating autobiography of social justice education pioneer Myles Horton, one of the founders of the Highlander School. It consists of transcribed interviews with Horton on a variety of different topics in his life and work. He basically devoted his life to developing opportunities for education as a self-empowering process to promote grassroots change for social justice, and his insights on this subject are profound. The also book contains some fascinating history, since his life sp...more
I think it's interesting how forcefully Horton speaks about avoiding book learning or formal education, given how much formal education he experienced on the road to founding Highlander. That said, the story is an inspiration, and in some ways the inconsistency between Horton's personal journey and the learning experiences he creates for others speaks to the very uniqueness of learning situations that he finds so important in training organizers. Having just read "Rules for Radicals" a few month...more
Dictated by Myles Horton and transcribed Judith & Herbert Kohl, the Long Haul is an autobiographical history of the Highlander Folk School in Western Tennessee, its role in the civil rights movement, and Hortons' perspective on community organizing, education, democracy. Myles Horton is a lesser-known contemporary of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Warren Wilson, Paolo Freire, James Bevel, Ralph Abernathy, etc. He was integral to the Civil Rights Movement, and one of the most progressive edu...more
This book spoke to me in a number of ways:
History - a perspective of 1930s through 1960s - violence between Americans
education - a perspective of mutual engagement - education using the wisdom in the room as opposed to the wisdom in front of the room.
organizing - focusing on action of collective energy
I would have liked to have known and worked with Myles to take in what he was saying about education in ways other than him saying things about education.
History - a perspective of 1930s through 1960s - violence between Americans
education - a perspective of mutual engagement - education using the wisdom in the room as opposed to the wisdom in front of the room.
organizing - focusing on action of collective energy
I would have liked to have known and worked with Myles to take in what he was saying about education in ways other than him saying things about education.
Great insights into Horton's educational philosophy and world view. A unique perspective of 20th century's social movements from a fearless organizer who made a major contributions to the labor and civil rights movements and democratic education. Horton believed that workers have the potential to run society but have been taught to distrust their judgment and view their own experiences as worthless. Therefore his educational workshops and retreats were designed to train workers to make collectiv...more
Myles Horton is such an inspiring individual. I was so impressed with him knowing early on what he wanted to do and methodically going about it. So much to learn from in this book. Teaching is learning from one another. Success isn't the victory at the end, but the learning of the collective along the way. Violence is not always a necessary evil. You must be willing to die for your cause.
What an amazing man.
What an amazing man.
This one was hard to put down. Myles Horton was the founder of the Highlander Folk School and an educator and organizer for both Labor movement and the Civil Rights Movement. Great history, wonderful stories, fabulous wisdom. I highly recommend this book.
I was given this book the summer after I began organizing and it's a must-read. There's so much richness that we can get from reading biographies and autobiographies (especially) of activists and organizers. We can see them as whole individuals.. all the frusterations that reoccur generation after generation, the intricate details of how they got successes, and the climates they worked in.
Myles Horton is an extremely important figure, as well as Highlander. Our generation, by and large, lacks a...more
Myles Horton is an extremely important figure, as well as Highlander. Our generation, by and large, lacks a...more
This book is a fabulous story of an man whose commitment to a more just society is evidenced in his commitment to the process of education. Winning a political battle is meaningless if the people in the battle did not come to understand themselves and the world better through the process. The Highlander school is more focused on adult education for activists and organizers and thus had less one to one relevance for my high school classroom. However, the story is a critical contribution to unders...more
Myles Horton explains how he started a grass-roots school called Highlander for working class adults. The school helped two social movements, the union movement in the 30's and 40's, and the civil rights movement in the 50's and 60's. I learned a different philosophy of education and democracy through reading The Long Haul. Also, I learned a better understanding of how to work with and connect with people living in poverty. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time, and when it begin...more
a bit arrogant and seemingly anti-theory, pro-practice (even though his work was incredibly theory-informed), which bothered me a lot
It was slow to get into at first but I enjoyed reading about the labor and civil rights movements from one of their architects.
Nov 11, 2009
Kevin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
do-gooders like me
Recommended to Kevin by:
SU Master in Teaching Program
How not to 'organize.' Movements start from communities, not some privileged do-gooders idea.
Jun 19, 2009
jessica wilson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2009-reads,
progressive-education-froebel
simple to read, awesome to behold, makes you want to step out and change the world and then makes you think of all the ways you already have. if you're a fan of social change and constructivist thinking, this is a book worth checking out.
Used during a philosophy of education graduate course.
From what I had heard about The Long Haul by Myles Horton, I knew reading it would have an impact on me and I expected a lot of great insights. It didn’t disappoint. I had been meaning to read this book for a couple years, and finally got around to it this summer. I absolutely loved it and believe everyone can learn or take something from it, no matter what your interests.
For more of a review, I wrote one here:
http://livingbreathinggrowing.wordpre...
For more of a review, I wrote one here:
http://livingbreathinggrowing.wordpre...
This book deeply inspired me. Myles Horton is the other big name in Organizing (along with Alinsky), and is just so deeply human and courageous and inspirational. He founded the Highlander Folk School, which trained much of the core of the labor movement of the 30s and 40s, and Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s. This is his story, in plain and very enjoyable language. I am still amazed.
Myles Horton was a remarkable organizer and educator. The work that he began with the Highlander Folk School provides a model for multiple contexts. This book is one of those books that I have read numerous times. It is not only a good story, but also an inspiration for those who are interested in having a positive impact on injustices in our society.
Had I written a thesis in college it would have looked something like this book. It's about organizing people throughout history and believing in one's ability to change. This was a key book for me in college as required in my "Theater for Social Change" class. I recommend it to all educators, do-ers, and thinkers.
I had no idea this book would teach me so much about activism, unions, and the history of labor struggles in the U.S. Myles Horton's autobiography is an excellent history not just of the Highlander School but of how we as Americans have struggled for social justice throughout the 20th century.
A beautiful, candid, and extremely hopeful autobiography of a true veteran of activism for the rural poor. Miles Horton, while telling his story, imparts some really key bits of wisdom that functioned like mantras for movement in my head. I reread it whenever I need to put some hope back into my work.
In my opinion, Horton is one of the greatest educators ever and the best white anti-racist role model that I know. This is book is full of good stories and insightful thoughts. I read most of this book for a sermon about Horton's life, and I can't wait to read the rest.
A great history of the Highlander Folk School, and reading it over my spring break while in the south made me start fantasizing about opening a similar venture, to begin a new radical progressive movement, in the north Georgia mountains.
easygoing writing style for reading on grass. he illustrates his points through stories - some of them very funny. always good to get back to these simple nuggets of wisdom. It can feel a bit repetative though.
by far one of the best autobiographies and most inspiring books I've read. I highly recommend it to anyone who believes in the power of people learning and struggling together to build something awesome.
One of the only books any activist worth her salt in the south needs to read. You should read it too. Graceful, simple and humble, this book will guide me through the rest of my life.
i didn't know much about Myles Horton before this - and while it isn't an essential book, it sheds some light on ideas about radical education that i found to be valuable.
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“Instead of thinking that you put pieces together that will add up to a whole, I think you have to start with the premise that they're already together and you try to keep from destroying life by segmenting it, overorganizing it and dehumanizing it. You try to keep things together. The educative process must be organic, and not an assortment of unrelated methods and ideas.”
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4 people liked it
“Nothing will change until we change - until we throw off our dependence and act for ourselves.”
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2 people liked it
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Nov 12, 2007 03:31am