Those Pullman Blues: An Oral History of the African-American Railroad Attendant
by David D. Perata

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Book Reviews of Those Pullman Blues: An Oral History of the African-American Railroad Attendant

Book Review: Good history of Pullman from its Workers' Point of View
Summary: 3 Stars

I had two close friends who worked for Pullman. One was a black former Pullman Porter. The other was a white Pullman employee who had worked his way up the system from the entry jobs to conductor and finallly a Pullman General Manager. Far from having the "plantation mentality" Mr. Perata speaks of, his concerns were that the level of service did not diminish AND that the employees were being treated fairly and with respect.

The black person worked for me in an executive compacity, so he need not have been less than candid. He told me stories of both his positive and negative experiences. Of course, there was the occassional ornery Conductor or supervisor, but almost all his comments about Pullman were positive. In fact he was insistant that the traditions of The Pullman Company be carried on and used on Amtrak.

Summary of Those Pullman Blues: An Oral History of the African-American Railroad Attendant

History Books

• History > Americas > United States > African Americans
• World > Transportation > Railroads