Charles Eagles, historian at the University of Mississippi is coming out with on August 1st, published by University of North Carolina Press. There’s going to be a reading for the book at Square Books in late September.
Since I first heard he was working about it well over a decade ago, I have been very much look forward to this one. Back in May, Sid Salter said about it:
For serious scholars of Mississippi history, seldom has there been a more anticipated book than “The Price of Defiance: James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss” by historian Charles W. Eagles, the William Winter professor of History at the University of Mississippi.
Bill Minor, who reported on the Meredith story at the time, read an advance copy of Eagles’s book and wrote about it in May:
Ole Miss history professor Charles Eagles took 15 years to research and chronicle “The Price of Defiance,” his anticipated definitive history of James H. Meredith’s 1962 violent integration of the all-white university, and unveil the confluence of an intransigent political and cultural forces behind the landmark civil rights event. …
Eagles’ “Price of Defiance” is poles apart from a mere rehashing of the story of the bloody riot on the Ole Miss campus the night of Sept. 30-Oct 1, 1962. His work provides a perspective only a dedicated historian can do.
Charles Eagles is a profound and award winning historian of the civil rights era. He began this project when he could interview principals (some have since died), and I’ve great confidence in his patience in mining the archives for this project. The interactions of Meredith, the Legal Defense Fund, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, district judges native to Mississippi, state officials, and the administration at Ole Miss is a story that has been crying out for and lacking a definitive treatment for decades. I’ve got a great deal of confidence we’re going to get that in this book and am excited about its impending publication.
Eagles was the best professor I had while at Ole Miss, hands down. He is the rare combination of a scholar and a teacher. Can’t wait for the book.
I took an American history class that Charles taught while I was in undergrad at Ole Miss. I really enjoyed his class and only wish that I could have devoted more time to it than I could (I was taking 21 hours and working 3 part-time jobs at the time). He was one of the best professors that I had at Ole Miss.
Several years ago, while I was in a trial in federal court in Oxford — a trial that apparently peaked Charles’ interest enough to attend as an observer — he came up to me during a break in the trial to speak to me. He remembered my name and the grade I made in his class —yikes! (which at that time was approx. 12 years in the rear view mirror). While I think he was pulling for the opposition in that case, we had a very nice discussion.
I am looking forward to his book. I am certain that it will be well-written,well- researched, and thorough.