Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila [Paperback]

Sticking to the Union relates the vibrant life of Julia Ruuttila (1907-1991), a political radical and labor journalist in the Pacific Northwest. Ruuttila's life of activism provides a much-needed woman's voice in the history of labor and social activism in the twentieth century. Ruuttila worked for civil liberties, civil rights, and peace organizations throughout her life, supporting striking workers, taking part in lunch-counter protests against businesses that discriminated against African Americans, and demonstrating against the Vietnam War. Polishuk provides insightful historical context for Ruuttila's own lively words. A unique and important perspective on American struggles of the twentieth century emerges in this engaging story of an irrepressible, hard-nosed woman.Acknowledgments* Foreword * Introduction * That's where I heard about sabotage * The valiant never taste of death but once * I shed my youth * A baking powder in the masses * I had a typewriter * Free Ray Becker * You can't tell about people * They were paranoid days * My bad reputation caught up with me * White trade only * It's work that interests me * You find friends in improbable places * I mean to be your friend * The lives of working people are filled with desperation * You sure met some wonderful people * I shall not come this way again * I look around * Vietnam * Too old to get beat up * The Trials of Parenthood * Do not look back when you latch the gate * Afterword * Bibliography

what a life! - Publishers Weekly

Sandy Polishuk's Sticking to the Union is the best kind of oral history, bringing to life a person and an era quickly passing out of reach.. - Elinor Langer, author of A Hundred Little Hitlers

Sticking to the Union is a fabulous oral history, Julia Ruuttila a compelling subject, and Sandy Polishuk, a thoughtful scholar who allows Ruuttila's voice to drive the narrative, but who also probes the ilW