A Spy In Canaan: How the FBI Used a Famous Photographer to Infiltrate the Civil Rights Movement

(Hardback)

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The story of the double life of famed civil rights photographer Ernest Withers--and how a closely guarded government secret finally came to light. Told by the journalist who broke the story. Ernest Withers captured some of the most iconic moments of the civil rights movement--from the rare photo of Martin Luther King Jr. in repose to the haunting photo of Emmet Till's great-uncle pointing an accusing finger at Till's killers. He was trusted and beloved by King's inner circle, and had a front row seat to history. But what most people don't know is that Withers was an informant for the FBI--and his photos helped the bureau identify and surveil the era's greatest figures. This book explores the life, complex motivations, and legacy of this fascinating figure.

Reviews

"Fascinating....[Perrusquia]tells part of the story that only he canthe discovery of Witherss secret and the struggle to bring it to lightand his contact with Lawrences surviving family members makes for insights into the FBI agents own personality and motivations."Clifford Thompson,Wall Street Journal

"A smart journalists book, crisply marching through Witherss F.B.I. records and the papers battle to pry them out of the governments grip."Christopher Bonanos, New York Times Book Review

A Spy in Canaanis a reporters account filled with dramatic scenes, sharply etched characters and insights into FBI political surveillance, the civil rights movement and the journalistic process. . . .As A Spy in Canaan adeptly shows, history is not always so clear-cut."Seth Rosenfeld, San Francisco Chronicle

"Atriumph of investigative reporting, the product of the authors dogged research. . . .ASpy in Canaanbrims with new details about the inner workings of the movement in Memphis and beyond."Aram Goudsouzian, The Washington Post

"A meticulously documented, finely written account of Withers life. . . .Even more important, it is a damning portrait of FBI tactics in an era marked by intense social upheaval."Pamela Miller, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

As everyone from Memphis knows, Marc Perrusquia is an indefatigable sleuth who has done much to tease out the most important stories from our citys intriguing and tragic past. In this ground-breaking and at times shocking examination into theconflicted life of a towering civil rights-era figure, weare reminded thatthe truth is often far more complicated than we could ever imagine. Hampton Sides, author of Hellhound on His Trail

"Marc Perrusquia's pioneering investigativereporting exposed how a renowned black photojournalist wasactually a longtimepaid informant for J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Powerfully and perceptively, thisremarkable true-lifedetective story shows how many lives can be damaged bysecret intelligence operatives run amok."DavidJ. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofBearingthe CrossandRising Star

A Spy in Canaan is an important contribution to the history of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and the role of the FBI in monitoring and attempting to contain activists challenging the racial status quo in the Memphis area. Perrusquias sobering tale provides a context for understanding the contemporary debate over race and social justice.Athan Theoharis, author of Spying on Americans: Political Surveillance from Hoover to the Huston Plan

Author Bio

Marc Perrusquia is journalist for The Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper in Memphis, Tenn., where he has worked the past 29 years. He has won numerous national awards for both feature writing and investigative reporting, a specialty honed over three decades working in a city long considered among the nation's most corrupt.