The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown

                “The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown” is a very interesting case that I enjoyed reading about.  As I was reading, three main points kept running through my head:

1)      I wish I knew more history about McCarthyism during the 1950s.  I feel I have a good base knowledge of racism, integration, and the struggles of African Americans during this time period.  Because of this, I found Ruth’s involvement extremely interesting.  During the 1950s, her behavior would have created many shockwaves in the community (as obviously documented in the book).  Yet, not knowing a lot about McCarthyism and threat of communism in the United States, I had trouble fully understanding the scope of the accusations again Ruth and the communist magazines.  This book made me wish that I had listened a little harder in 10^th grade American History.

2)      Ruth Brown was one firecracker of a woman.  I was almost laughing aloud at the court hearings where Ruth was being interrogated.  Her short, blunt, almost sarcastic answers were pure entertainment.  While I found enjoyment from them, I couldn’t help but think… “Um, Ruth, you are on trial here.  Maybe you shouldn’t be trying to aggravate the court.”  But then again, that is who Ruth Brown was.  I would have loved to meet her in person.  The way that librarian patrons described her made her seem a little rough around the edges, but extremely good at her job.  The book even alluded to the fact that she was straightforward with adults, but very kind to children.  She obviously had a mission, and was not afraid to follow it.  Her actions in terms of racial integration were considered quite bold for the time period.  To add on top of that, she was a woman, and during this time period, a woman’s “role” in the 1950s is not as it is today.  And even after this whole “issue,” she moved to a new city, and kept on being a librarian for 20 more years.  That shows dedication.

3)      What would be the equivalent of this type of town uproar today?  McCarthyism and racial integration were HUGE topics in the 1950s.  Sixty years from now, I would be interested to hear what HUGE issues were fought for in this day and age.  And also, with the vast accessibility of knowledge and resources in libraries today (both physical and electronic), would this type of prosecution occur in a library today?  Or is that cases such as Ruth Brown’s are more common today and thus less widely covered?