Power of the Zoot

Luis Alvarez is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego.

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments and Dedication Introduction PART ONE. DIGNITY DENIED: YOUTH IN THE EARLY WAR YEARS 1. Race and Political Economy 2. Class Politics and Juvenile Delinquency PART TWO. THE STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY: ZOOT STYLE DURING WORLD WAR II 3. Zoot Style and Body Politics 4. Zoots, Jazz, and Public Space PART THREE. VIOLENCE AND NATIONAL BELONGING ON THE HOME FRONT 5. Zoot Violence in Los Angeles 6. Race Riots across the United States Epilogue: From Zoot Suits to Hip-Hop Notes Bibliography Index

"Diligently charts a culture's exemplar, the zoot suit, and connects it to modern fashion and music ... It is a compelling window into the U.S. in the war years as seen from a much different point of view." The Morning News "Deserves much credit for analyzing youth fashion during the era of swing jazz as a national phenomenon ." The Journal Of American History "Colorful, entertaining, and frequently enlightening... Alvarez leaves us asking for more." New Mexico Historical Review "[Alvarez's] scholarship is now the best and most comprehensive book on Zoot Suit culture, society, and race conflict during World War II." H-Urban "The work is admirable wide and deep." Journal Of World History "[A] fascinating work of scholarship." Left History "A solid contribution to the field." Winterthur Portfolio: Journal Of American Material Culture