Sticking to the Union An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila

NEW SERIES ANNOUNCEMENTPalgrave is pleased to announce a new series, Palgrave Studies in Oral History, edited by Linda Shopes of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Bruce M. Stave, Board of Trustees Professor Emeritus and Director of the Center for Oral History at of the University of Connecticut. The series will feature the best current work in the field of oral history placed into a broad historical context, engaging issues of historical memory, and narrative construction. The books in the series will explore a wide variety of topics and themes in all areas of history. The series will include works using global, compartive, and local frameworks. Contributions to the series will highlight the unique capacity of oral history to humanize broader social and political trends, demonstrating their impact on the individual level. 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.

Sandy Polishuk is an Instructor of Women's Studies at Portland State University.