"Provides the reader with an excellent overview of this history . . . Presents the complex legal and constitutional issues in a highly readable way. . . . A very good introduction to the history of the struggle against the white primary. Everybody who is interested in this topic will benefit from reading Zelden’s book."—American Journal of Legal History
"Zelden lucidly renders a complicated legal history with crisp prose and rich detail. The book is of interest to a broad audience, particularly those studying legal, political, and African American history, and should be useful in a variety of undergraduate courses."—Journal of African American History
"A finely crafted summary of an important civil rights case. . . . A first-rate study that should remain the definitive one for some time, hardly an insignificant accomplishment."—Journal of Southern History
"Zelden’s book is fine civil rights history. It is also a theoretically informed case study of group litigation for social change that can be read with considerable profit by analysts of how and when the legal process and political conflict overlap."—H-Net Book Reviews
"Tells an important, interesting story and chronicles the great lengths that Texas and many other states went to in order to keep African Americans from voting."—Choice
"Zelden skillfully recounts the story of the rise, evolution, and decline of the all-white primary (AWP), one of a litany of devices once used by whites to deprive blacks of political power across the South. . . . Zelden’s book cogently weaves a series of important events into a compelling story of American constitutional development that gives due regard to all of the story's characters. . . . Students often read U.S. Supreme Court decisions with the presumption that there must be one right answer. Zelden’s account of the Smith case offers an accessible antidote to that sort of thinking by highlighting the contingency and agency that produced and shaped the case."—Law & Politics Book Review
“Zelden places this landmark decision in historical context that deepens our comprehension of the racial politics of law. . . . A splendid contribution to American political, social, and legal history.”—Darlene Clark Hine, author of Black Victory: The Rise and Fall of the White Primary in Texas
“A richly detailed and eminently readable account of one of the first triumphs in the struggle for racial equality. Highly recommended!”—Tinsley Yarbrough, author of Race and Redistricting: The Shaw-Cromartie Cases
“An important story, told clearly and crisply, about one of the giant judicial landmarks in civil rights history.”—Steven Lawson, author of Civil Rights Crossroads: Nation, Community, and the Black Freedom Movement
