The Bill of the Century

The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act by Clay Risen  320 pages

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was arguably the single most important piece of legislation passed by Congress in U.S. history. However, the victory of the bill took an incredible amount of effort to pass and launched the longest filibuster in American history to defeat it. In this book, Clay Risen does an in-depth exploration of this critical turning point in American history, looking at the epic struggle behind it. From grassroots activism, backroom dealing and hand-to-hand legislative combat, Risen shows in vivid narrative how this "idea whose time had come" wouldn't have arrived without an incredible fight.

I don't know if I would have picked up this book had it not been a choice for a book group I'm in.  It's densely written and there is a lot of information to cover, so while Clay Risen definitely brings the struggle to pass this bill to life, there's a lot of information here to digest. It's a vivid account, but I could have benefited from a "who's who" kind of chart to refer to from time to time.  Interesting read, especially if you're interested in civil rights history and congressional history.