The Long Haul: An Autobiography

Horton, who in 1932 created the famed Highlander School where people like Rosa Parks "gained her strength," tells here the amazing story of his life. Raised poor in Tennessee, Horton went from Cumberland University to Union Theological Seminary (where he was a student of Reinhold Niebuhr and a student with Dietrich Bonhoeffer) to the University of Chicago (where he studied with Robert Parks and consulted with Jane Addams) to Denmark (to research the Danish Folk Schools). He wasn't interested in degrees. He stayed in each place long enough to find what he needed to help him carry out his life's work: with people on the bottom of society, in order to change society from the bottom. He was never intimidated by those who had money and power. His stories of countering the forces of racism and corporate demagoguery are fascinating and inspiring. This book is full of lessons for anyone interested in social change.

How a group of caring people can be transformed into a catalyst for social change. Myles Horton, and threads of the humanity who made up the Highlander School, championed the Appalachian working class, empowering them to stand up to the factory owners and politicians who used their lack of education against them. By respecting the knowledge and intelligence of the poorest, Mr. Horton was able to win the proud mountain people's respect and trust and help them to understand the foundations of the democracy within which they lived.This book has a great deal to teach about democracy, about learning, about our society's prejudices built on race, sex and education. It is a book about inspiration, about defining and learning about your own beliefs and where you stand on important issues that effect all of humanity today. Read this book for the history, to learn about the strength of a man and a group who followed their beliefs...but you will find yourself, in the end, learning about yourself.

I was first introduced to THE LONG HAUL as a consequence of teaching a community organization course for which I had not been assigned for over 20 years. I felt I was out of my element. In seeking to prep myself for this course, I consulted key people in the US and my local community. I was prodded to read THE LONG HAUL. I must admit I was not enthusiastic. BIG MISTAKE!After 30 years of reading social science research monographs, research proposals, dissertations, MSW theses, and textbooks, I would say that THE LONG HAUL is one of the most (and perhaps the most) profoundly important piece of literature I have read addressing the social service arena. Although it is an autobiography, it offers critical insight into the failure of social service delivery. Prior to reading THE LONG HAUL, I believed that the major failure of sociology and social work was the inability to construct a meaningful theory of cultural diversity. Social work's failure to shepherd recipients off of TANF is associated with a lack of cultural understanding. Clearly, what we need is a theory for guidance.In his autobiography, Myles Horton takes us to the threshold of theory construction. Much of what "works" is counterintuitive. For example, if the police are monitoring Horton's actions because the authorities fear he will instigate a communist upraising, Horton will seek out the police. He would thank them for escorting him to his destination and explain to them his plans. The police move into a state of utter confusion. They are put in a position where they must walk with him rather then concealing themselves. Clearly, he knows what he is doing, but is unable to explain his actions that would enable readers to generalize these actions. The capacity to generalize and to use this generalization for an alternative environment is the heart of sociological theory. We learn how society functions by identifying patterns and see if they exist (or work) in other arenas.Perhaps theory construction is not possible. Perhaps cultural influences are so uniquely situated that a generalization from one arena to another is not possible. What is the common theme found in all of Horton's successes? I think the answer is LISTENING. However, Horton's form of listening is not the type of listening I was taught nor the kind of listening I read in cutting edge research and respected textbooks. It is, in fact, NOT the empathic listening. I do not believe that words exists which capture the essence of this type of Horton's listening, but I believe the concept of "blind" listening comes close. In addition, sociological frameworks such as Interactionalism and Phenomenology employ terms like "bracketing." Bracketing comes close, but does not hit the bull's eye. Social workers must spend more time understanding Horton's methodology of listening, analyzing what he heard, and acting upon his analysis.I do not recall reading any book that had such a profound effect on my thinking. This autobiography is not merely the story of Myles Horton's life but rather a roadmap for improved social service delivery and empowerment. Every social worker should read this book -- even clinicians. In fact, I would say that any social work student who does not thoroughly enjoy this book, needs to change majors.

This was a required book for a university course and as I read it found my pre-conceived thoughts about it were all wrong. I found out what a character Myles Horton was and how his style of learning was "out of the box" and it was ok to be that way. He was a very gifted person, with a lot of guts to do things that others had not tried or failed to be successful at. This is a must read for all who ponder their educational direction and influence on culture.

Not much time for a long review.. I had to read this book for a class so wasn't looking forward to it. The book turned out to be fantastic. It's about Myles Horton, a civil rights leader and advocate. He writes it like he's talking to you, so it's very easy to stay involved in the book. I also really enjoyed the countless insights he made about a number of different things. It's based in the 1930s through the 1980s. Mr. Horton was actually a mentor of sorts for Martin Luther King, Jr. Not a very descriptive review, but if you're looking for a civil rights/advocacy oriented book, I highly recommend this.

Use for on line class

In the 1970s, when I was a college student studying Appalachian sociology, Highlander was a golden beacon - the place where Rosa Parks learned civil disobedience! How I wish this book was available then. It's much more than an autobiography of Highlander's founder, Myles Horton. It's more than a history of Highlander. It explains how Horton and his associates evolved their methods of education. As part of a peace and justice start-up myself, I found myself thinking,"I must tell everyone about this idea!" and, "Oh, that happens to us, too." This book is an inspiration.

Perfect book for my class!