russell wilson

I thought this book was going to provide thoughtful information about racism in America. Instead it seemed to be filled with inaccuracies, assumptions, and a worldview that blames whiteness for all of America's racial problems. The authors have a very skewed and narcissistic view of human nature. On the first page of the introduction they write, "Racist and antiracist ideas have lived in human minds for nearly six hundred years. Born in western Europe in the mid-1400s, racist ideas traveled to colonial America and have lived in the United States from its beginning." Clearly, the authors have not studied any history prior to the mid-1400s, as racist ideas and actions have existed in the minds of humans from the earliest points of civilization. Their statement blames Western Europeans for creating this thing that all of humanity must battle, called Racism. The book progresses in this same fashion for 255 pages. The authors find fault with every historical figure possible from Fredrick Douglass, W.E.B Du bois, Abraham Lincoln, Harper Lee, and M.L.King. The only people they seem to truly admire are Angela Davis and Malcolm X. I will be using the book with my children not to discuss racial problems in America, as intended, but rather to explore poor writing styles and logical fallacies.