Boxcar Politics

"By advancing a more nuanced account of the range of political possibilities on offer in the U.S. hobo subculture, Lennon certainly develops the coordinates for a significant contribution to Americanist literary and cultural studies."—Mark Simpson, author of Trafficking Subjects: The Politics of Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America

"One shining achievement of this book is the way Lennon expertly weaves the story of Scottsboro into the narrative of hobo history and the history of transience and its representations in Great Depression America. The author treats the central issues of race and gender, as well as class, with great clarity and intelligence."—Todd DePastino, author of Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America

"Lennon provides a unique discussion of the 1931 case of the Scottsboro nine as he presents both black men accused of rape and the white women who denounced them as representative of little-discussed subgroups within the larger hobo narrative, which has largely been the story of white males."—Journal of American History

"Insightful . . . this is a well-researched and well-written study. It is of use to anyone interested in American labor history, the history of U.S. transportation, and the Great Depression. It also contains nuanced insights into a wide array of fiction, music, and film concerned with the depiction of the American Hobo. Boxcar Politics is a valuable and recommended study."—American Studies

"Lennon's book reminds us how pervasive the hobo figure was in American life, surfacing not only to beg at the backdoor or work the fruit harvest, but also in the latest literary journal."—Grand Prarie Union News