Larry Tye discussed his widely-praised new book, “Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class” (Henry Holt, 2004) on Monday, August 2, 2004.

The presentation was part of the Center for the Book’s “Books & Beyond” author series and is cosponsored by the Library’s Manuscript Division, which aided Mr. Tye in his research.

“Rising from the Rails” explores the 100-year history of the black men who worked on George Pullman’s railroad sleeping cars, looking at how they launched the first successful black trade union, helped launch the Civil Rights movement, and gave birth to today’s African-American middle class. Congressman Jesse L. Jackson said “this book brings to life the stirring story of the civil rights legacy of A. Phillip Randolph and Pullman porters, which is an inspiration to those of us following in their footsteps.”

Larry Tye runs the new Health Coverage Fellowship, which is designed to help the media do a better job covering critical health care issues. From 1986 to 2001, Tye was a reporter at the “Boston Globe,” where he covered medicine, the environment, sports, and carried out several investigative assignments. He also won a series of national reporting awards and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993-94.