Wolters's work is a refreshing overview and summary of the role W. E. B. Du Bois played in the struggle for equal rights for African Americans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in America. The author's analysis of Du Bois's interactions with his best-known rivals (and friends) is invigorating reading for both laymen and professional historians. Wolters's interpretation of the life's work of the preeminent African American scholar... is a stimulating new evaluation of a topic that has been well researched and documented by some of the country's leading historians. - North Carolina Historical Review; ""The familiar clashes with Booker T. Washington, Walter White and Marcus Garvey occupy the center of this account of W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963), 'the most prominent spokesman for his race in the United States,' and those in his wake. During his long career, Du Bois also cooperated and collided with James Weldon Johnson, Monroe Trotter, Robert Moton and Emmett Scott, all of whom Wolters... covers in this collective biography.... There is enough anecdotal material to ease the reader through the philosophical and temperamental differences that led into, but rarely out of, the 'rivalries' of this seminal American."" - Publishers Weekly; ""A surprisingly fresh look at a much-covered subject. It would be excellent for the first-time reader about Du Bois as well as the student or scholar. All the pertinent facts of his life are there, and his significance in world history is treated properly. Wolters writes for a general audience. His descriptions, storytelling and conclusions are clear and concise.... The plainly written narrative and storytelling quality of the presentation of the facts are almost a relief from the informative but pedantic other major works on Du Bois."" - Charleston Post and Courier; ""This is an excellent work.... Were I still in the classroom, the present book would certainly appear on my course reading list."" - Arvarh E. Strickland
