Common Ground (Lukas book)

Common Ground
First edition
AuthorJ. Anthony Lukas
LanguageEnglish
SubjectRace relations in the United States
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication date
1985
Publication placeUnited States
Awards
ISBN978-0-394-41150-7
370.19/342
LC ClassF73.9.A1 L85

Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families is a nonfiction book by J. Anthony Lukas, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1985, that examines race relations in Boston, Massachusetts, through the prism of desegregation busing.[1] It received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction,[2] the National Book Award for Nonfiction,[3] and the National Book Critics Circle Award.[4]

In addition to the family stories, Common Ground examines many of the issues related to busing, including the protest movements, the disaffection between the "two-toilet" Irish middle class and their working-class brethren, the impact of busing on national politics, and the evolution of the city's newsmedia.

A television miniseries based on the book aired in 1990.

  1. ^ Lukas, J. Anthony (1985). Common ground: a turbulent decade in the lives of three American families. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-394-74616-3.
  2. ^ "General Nonfiction". Past winners & finalists by category. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  3. ^ "National Book Awards – 1985". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  4. ^ "Past Winners". National Book Critics Circle. Archived from the original on 2006-03-31. Retrieved 2006-04-24.