Thunder in America

This analysis of Jackson's 1984 presidential bid goes far toward explaining the significance and contradictions of the man and his campaign as well as the responses of black and white Americans. Based on their own reporting, the authors (Faw is a CBS correspondent; Skelton, deceased, was a Los Angeles Times reporter) view Jackson's effort as a ""political transition,'' in which an outsider with few financial resources or political connections nonetheless made the first serious black bid for the presidency. For Jackson, the campaign's ``torment'' was that his candidacy was driven by black hope but limited by white resistance, they write. Offering solid accounts of major issues and controversies, they conclude that Jackson (code-named ``Thunder'' by the Secret Service), while dismissed by Democratic party heads, managed to create a new black political network whose power will be revealed only in future elections. First serial to Los Angeles Times Magazine. (October 7