Accompanying a PBS documentary of the same name, "The Fight in the Fields" tells the dramatic story of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union, both in words and in powerful photographs, many previously unpublished. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The companion book to a PBS documentary of the same name, this is, for its genre, a substantial and broadly documented (photos, interviews) portrait of a worthy subject. Given that Chavez (1927-1993) built the United Farm Workers with a combination of humility, grit, faith in nonviolence and savvy, this book's admiring tone is understandable. Dispossessed of their Arizona farm, the Chavez family became poor migrant harvesters; their experience fueled Chavez's 1962 decision to move from community organizing to start an independent farm workers' union that would right injustice in the fields. The authors' textured narrative provides good detail on UFW strikes, demonstrations and negotiations; a letter from Chavez explaining the union's 1960s grape boycott shows him to be a true counterpart of Martin Luther King Jr. The authors also explain the UFW battles with the Teamsters and Chavez's own struggles with his staff. While the book skimps on Chavez's private life as well as on the current state of farmworker activism, it does leave the reader with the sense that Chavez‘whose catch-phrase "Si, se puede" (Yes, it can be done) still rings in the Latino community‘was a crucial contributor to bettering America. Ferriss covers Latino affairs for the San Francisco Examiner; Sandoval is a business editor for the San Jose Mercury News. Photos. (Apr.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

When the Chavez family lost its farm in Arizona in 1938 during the Depression, they moved to California and became migrant workers. Cesar was outraged by the exploitation, racism, and brutality that migrant farmworkers were forced to endure. His strong religious convictions, a dedication to nonviolent change, and a skill at organizing led to the establishment of the United Farmworkers (UFW) union. "La Causa," as it was called by supporters, became an important movement for self-determination in the lives of California's Mexican American and Filipino farmworkers. The successful nationwide grape and lettuce boycotts and public support exposed the injustices of California agribusiness and resulted in the first collective bargaining agreements and union hiring halls for migrant workers. Authored by two journalists who covered Chavez and the farmworkers, this companion volume to a PBS documentary traces Chavez's life and the events and people that helped shape it. Recommended for labor and agriculture collections.‘Irwin Weintraub, Rutgers Univ. Lib., New Brunswick, N.J. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information