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Race Matters
by Cornel West

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     From Publishers Weekly

     West's collection of eight cogent and profoundly moral essays on American race relations was a one-week PW bestseller. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

     From School Library Journal

     YA-Thought-provoking essays that address a number of controversial issues of concern to African Americans. West analyzes such subjects as nihilism in black America, the crisis of black leadership, affirmative action, black-Jewish relations, sexuality, and the legacy of Malcolm X. His writing style is scholarly and sparse-he does not waste words, and his prose is easy to read. Yet his viewpoints are radical and passionately felt. He is not afraid to speak frankly and, while he presents many criticisms, he also offers many solutions. Not everyone will agree with his point of view, but if one of his objectives is to make readers at least think about the problems he has dissected, then he has succeeded admirably.
Pat Royal, Crossland High School, Camp Springs, MD
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc

     From Library Journal

     In this collection of essays, many of which have previously appeared in journals, West, the director of Afro-American studies at Princeton and the author of several books, including Prophetic Fragments ( LJ 3/1/88) and Breaking Bread with bell hooks ( LJ 12/91), addresses a number of issues of concern to black Americans: the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King verdict; Malcolm X; Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill; and black street life. These topics are all timely yet timeless in that they represent the continuing struggle to include African Americans in mainstream American political, economic, and social life without destroying their unique culture. West's essays have the feel of a fine sermon, with thought-provoking ideas and new ways of looking at the same old problems. They can be quickly read yet take a long time to digest because of West's unique slant on life. Already well known in scholarly circles, West is increasingly becoming more visible to the general public, and this book should make his essays more accessible to a greater number of people. Recommended for all types of libraries.
- Anita L. Cole, Miami-Dade P.L. System, Fla.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

     From Kirkus Reviews

     In essays that challenge the nature of racial discourse in America, the director of Princeton's Afro-American Studies program, professor of religion, and self-described ``intellectual freedom- fighter'' calls for moral regeneration and profound social change. Scheduled to appear on the anniversary of the L.A. riots (when the nation presumably will take stock of America one year after), this collection (much of which appeared previously in The New York Times Magazine, Dissent, Z, etc.) is consistently effective at pointing out how the intellectual frameworks used by both whites and blacks as well as by liberals and (neo) conservatives impede true progress and understanding--whether the issue is affirmative action, black nihilism, or the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. West identifies the valuable insights of black conservatives while taking their conclusions to pieces and sees black anti-Semitism as threatening the ethical nature of the black struggle (if it ``becomes simply a power-driven war...that pits xenophobia from below against racism from above, then David Duke's project is the wave of the future''). While unsparing in his critique of black leadership and American racism, West situates the crisis in black America inside our market-driven culture, a world of ``random nows'' and the ``empty quest for pleasure, property and power''--a pervasive spiritual impoverishment that transcends race but is most devastating among the poorest, most powerless, and most despised. Aiming at accessibility, West perhaps too much curtails his customary intellectual range; but with clear thinking and sensible analysis being in short supply these days, his words are welcome nonetheless. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

     From Book News, Inc.

     Accessible, pointed essays on race in America by esteemed African- American intellectual West--professor of religion and director of Princeton's Afro-American Studies program. Most have been previously published in earlier versions. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. edition.

     Publishers Weekly, September 1994

     "West's densely worded and intellectually irascible narration is broken up with poignant quotes read by his mother, Irene West. The sum production in this effort, while biting in its various social criticisms, is at heart a spirited call to social action. Reading aloud, Professor West builds his arguments with handsome verbal acuity that exhibits a deep grasp of the beauty of the spoken word."

     Washington Post Book World

     "As moving as any of the sermons of the Rev. Martin Luther King, as profound as W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folks, as exhilarating in their offering of liberation as James Baldwin's early essays."

     U.S. Senator Bill Bradley

     "Few Americans speak about race with Cornel West's clarity, humanity, and intellectual rigor. His presence on the scene, plus the knowledge that his best years lie ahead of him, should give hope to all of us who believe that America's racial diversity is our strength."

     Kliatt, July 1996

     "This...is the most cogently argued, insightful, honest, yet healing essay on the issues of race in America that I have ever experienced...The narration by West and his mother, Irene West, who reads the introductory quotations at the start of each chapter, is clear, evenly and appropriately read."  

     Book Description

     First published in 1993 on the one-year anniversary of the L.A. riots, Race Matters has since become an American classic. Beacon Press is proud to present this hardcover edition with a new introduction by Cornel West. The issues that it addresses are as controversial and urgent as before, and West's insights remain fresh, exciting, and timely. Now more than ever, Race Matters is a book for all Americans—one that will help us build a genuine multiracial democracy.

     Ingram

     From leadership to the legacy of Malcolm X, the author has the courage to break the taboos of silence in the black community, while acknowledging the realities of race in America. Unabridged on 3 cassettes.

     From the Publisher

     " [A] compelling blend of philosphy, sociology and political commentary...It directly takes on some of the most volatile issues facing American society today...One can only applaud the ferocious moral vision and astute intellect on display in these pages."--The New York Times

     "As moving as any of the sermons of the Rev. Martin Luther King, as profound as W.E.B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk, as exhilarating in their offering of liberation as James Baldwin's early essays."--Washington Post Book World

     "Exciting...illuminating..West's thinking consistently challenges the conventional wisdom..[and] confronts the reader with profound and unsettling insights." --Newsday

     From the Back Cover

     "As moving as any of the sermons of the Rev. Martin Luther King, as profound as W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk, as exhilarating in their offering of liberation as James Baldwin's early essays." --The Washington Post Book World

     "Cornel West is one of the most authentic, brilliant, prophetic and healing voices in America today. We ignore his truth in Race Matters at our personal and national peril." --Marian Wright Edelman

     About the Author

     Cornel West has been Professor of Religion and Director of Afro-American Studies at Princeton University since 1988, and was recently appointed Professor of Afro-American Studies and the Philosophy of Religion at Harvard University. He is the author of many books, including Keeping Faith, Prophetic Fragments, and, with bell hooks, Breaking Bread.
 

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