THE FIRE IS UPON US by Nicholas Buccola (Princeton University Press)
We worked with Linfield College professor Nicholas Buccola and Princeton University Press to publicize THE FIRE IS UPON US. It tells the story of the historic 1965 debate at Cambridge University between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, one of the most intellectually explosive moments of the Civil Rights Era.
When publicizing history books, it’s always best to try—if possible—to tie them to current events. For this book, we highlighted American conservatives’ long history of aligning themselves with fringe groups and how surprisingly little the right's views on race have changed in the last 60+ years. We raised the question of what Buckley would have thought of Trump, and we talked about why Baldwin is still so relevant today.
There was a lot of incredible media coverage for this book, including when Whoopie Goldberg picked it as one of her favorite things for her birthday special on The View. (An unexpected Press Shop first.)
Here are a couple of other highlights:
The Washington Post: "William F. Buckley Jr. vs. James Baldwin: A Racial Showdown on the American Dream"
This piece in the Retropolis column appeared just before publication, leading to a surge of other media interest.
The New York Times Book Review: "When James Baldwin Squared Off Against William F. Buckley Jr."
This full-page review called the book “an acute commentary on a great intellectual prizefight” and was accompanied by an interview with NYTBR editor Pamela Paul for the Book Review’s podcast.
KCRW's Scheer Intelligence: "There Is No Donald J. Trump without William F/ Buckley"
A wide-ranging radio interview with Robert Scheer that led to this excellent headline.
