University of Virginia Press
History professor Nancy MacLean edited and wrote the introduction for this autobiography. Scalawag tells the surprising story of Edward H. Peeples, a white working-class boy who became an unlikely civil rights activist. Covering fifty years' participation in the long civil rights movement, Peeples’s gripping story brings to life an unsung activist culture to which countless forgotten individuals contributed, over time expanding their commitment from civil rights to other causes. This engrossing, witty tale of escape from what once seemed certain fate invites readers to reflect on how moral courage can transform a life.