If you're only going to read one book on the subject of racism, this should be it. With intelligence and compassion the author fulfills the promise of her book's title. It is supported by scholarship that is both broad and dense, but it is extremely readable. Most importantly it shows in detail that 'hits home' how we are all living less well than we could be if we would let go of the fundamental construct of the "zero sum game" and switch to an assumption that what is good for you is also good for me. With example and story the author shows how everyone benefits in a multi-racial community. Before that heartwarming chapter, she details the history of decisions that grow out of the racism that infects our politics and our governance from state legislatures to Congress. Just in case the number of pages is daunting the reader should be assured by the length of the documentation and detailed index that makes up the final quarter of pages.
