The arguement that the past thirty years have resulted in a closing of the gap between whites and blacks seems untenable after reading this book. Using wealth instead of income as a measure of success and progress, Oliver and Shapiro argue that glaring inequalities still exist and may actually be growing. Moreover, since creating wealth is far more difficult when one has none to begin, the authors argue that such inequalities are sure to continue unless significant changes are made to the social safety net. These premises certainly call into question the notion of a vibrant black middle class.

Overall, I found the book to be scholarly, yet accessible to those who don't hold a Ph.D. in research methodology. The information was nicely balanced; the interviews complemented the extensive survey data and everything was clearly presented. My only complaint is that the statistical information was not presented in the appendix with the tables. This would have been useful and meaningful to academics reading the book. That being said, the thesis is a profound one, and for all those with an interest in social equity and social policy this is a must-read.

I have found this book to be not only educational, but highly entertaining and pertient toward my life. It address issues that affect every woman, but pinpoints Afro-American women specifically by tackling issues from sexual abuse to homosexuality, and the way these issues play themselves out in the black community as a whole. The editor Evelyn C. White has done a great job of empowering women to not be afraid of being black in today's America. By choosing to include viewpoints from authors like Zora Neale Hurston and Beverly Smith,it becomes evident that black women have always found a way to take care of themselves; even when professional medicial care was not an option, their resolution stood tall in the face of adversity. One of the best stories was by a young woman as she recounted her concerns about going to a predominantly white, male medical school in Philadelphia. She had to deal with multiple demons. Not only did she have blantant racism staring her in the face from classmates not so professionally "neutral" in their views of what roles a black woman should hold in society, but the inner doubt that she was betraying the community that she came from, who weren't always treated fairly. This anthology talks about how black women face obstacles few other ethnic groups encounter on a daily basis. Most important of these being the disapproval of the black community within in this country, that doesn't always realize that we do have a voice, and intend to use it for the greater good of women everywhere, but most importantly ourselves.

Employing an exhaustive amount of first-rate materials and interviews into his research, Andrew DeRoche, an up and coming scholar of diplomatic history, has provided a splendid account of the complexities - setbacks, victories, racism, pain, pleasure and other elements that were a part of the relationship between the United Staes and Rhodesia(eventually Zimbabwe) from the Eisenhower years to the latter years of the Clinton Administration. DeRoche uses outstanding research to provide his arguments. His analysis (often cutting edge) of the more than 4 decade relationship (45 years to be precise) is nothing short of splendid. The book was enormously informative and it was a pleasure to read. I would reccomend it for anyone who is intersted in groundbreaking work in diplomatic history.

Amos Wilson was one of the greatest free thinking "radicals" (read Afrikan) to grace the last half of the 20th Century with his lucid writing, deep thought, and lecture series. His impact on African Peoples "Conceptualizations" of Perceived realities and thinking modalities will be of immeasurable assistance guiding us into the next century. The first offering by this MHA (Most Honored Ancestor) deals with the nature of a Crimogenic Society and its implications in our communities. The book speaks of Black on Black crime but the true value is perceived when you apply the concepts to other areas of life as well. He is survived by numerous books, and audio/video tapes. If you would like to obtain a video or audio please feel free to email me. His other works are: "BluePrint for Black Power" (10), "The Falsification of African Consciousness", "Awakening the Geneous of the Black Child", "Understanding Adolescent Male Violence", "Developemental Psychology of the Black Child"

I work in the minority affairs at a major univerity. One of the questions I often get from majority and minority students and faculty is, "why are the scores--on average--so much lower for minority students than other students". Sometimes the implied message is, are the Black students dumber? The Black-White Test Scoe Gap is the best source I know for answering this and questions without getting defensive. The book makes plain that their is not just one "answer", but many theories. I have always thought a big chunk of the problem had to do with so many lower middle class white teachers who had low expectations for Black children. Interestingly, one of the writers agrees that the gap has something to do with the teachers, but notes a different problem: teachers (regardless of race)in urban areas tend to have low standardized test scores themselves and therefore may find it difficult to improved the scores of their students. I highly recommend this book.

Hi,I never read your book. But I am interested in your name. My name is Cees Tishauser. My great grandfather was Swiss and he wrote his name as Tischauser.In Holland there are a few Tishauser's and there all family. Can you tell me more about your family. I hope you will answer.

This is one of the five best non-fiction books I have ever read! It is superior to anything Rogin has written previously, magnificent as some of his earlier scholarship has been. I reccommend this book for film buffs, as well as anyone interested in learning how this country's history of racism has affected mass culture and how that has shaped our own understanding of what it means to be an American. Read and learn. This is cultural studies at its best.

This book is wonderfully photographed and written, focusing on the history of blue-and-white textiles and pottery of Japan. Just turning the pages gives a Zenlike feeling of rightness. Table settings, linens and furnishings don't have to match to give you a feeling of eating and living in calm and harmony

"Blue Dragon White Tiger" is an in-depth description and explanantion of the underlying philosphies that have permeated Chinese culture from antiquity to the present day. This is not an exhaustive history, but an exploration of the major philosophies/practices that underpin Chinese society and cultural norms. Chief among these are the yin/yang concepts of the "I Ching" and the five-element (wood, fire, metal, water, earth) system of natural processes of change. My teacher Michael Saso is an initiated Taoist priest and ordained Buddhist priest, so he is able to give us a look at the various rites of passage of Chinese culture such as birth, death, marriage and the annual cycle of festivals from the inside out. He not only describes rituals as an observer, but understands the underlying energetic processes such as Taoist emptying that inform and empower the rites. This level of understanding is rare in the West, to say the least. While there are surely descriptions of these rites elsewhere, the inner meaning based on experience from practicing the Taoist alchemical inner transformation and emptying yogas eludes the most educated and astute scholar-observer. It is precisely this meaning that the author provides. He ends with an overview of the state of religion in China today. Each chapter has notes and a select bibliography, however there is no index.

Kenneth White is for me the most incredible living poet and writer I have come across. Formerly Professor of 20th Century poetics at the Sorbonne in Paris, this native Scot has won a number of prizes for his work which has been hailed by the French as 'the first coherent expression of postmodernity'.

'The Blue Road' is one of his "way-books" - a series of essays, sketches and poems - about a trip he made to Labrador in North-Eastern Canada. The drive behind much of his writing and thinking is to move out from the 'fuzz' of the West and into a clearer, more elemental space of being. Much of this space is symbolised by the idea of the North, which 'The Blue Road' is essentially about.

In the preface to 'The Blue Road', Kenneth White writes:

"So what's a 'blue road'? I hear somebody asking.

I'm not too sure about that myself. There's the blue of the big sky, of course, there's the blue of the river, the mighty St.Lawrence, and, later on, there's the blue of the ice. But all these notions, along with a few others I can think of, while they talk to my senses and my imagination, still don't exhaust the depth of that 'blue'.

So it's something mystic then?

I wouldn't want to get involved in palaver about that word at this juncture (ther's something a whole lot fresher calling us out), but if I let my mind dwell for a moment on this kind of vocabulary, I recall that in some of the old traditions they talk of the 'itinerant' mystic, and they say that if a man caught up in 'Western exile' wants to find his 'Orient', he has to go through a passage North.

Maybe the blue road is that passage North, among the blues of silent Labrador.

Maybe the idea is to go as far as possible - to the end of yourself - till you get into a territory where time turns into space, where things appear in all their nakedness and the wind blows anonymously."

Anyway, if you can get hold of his work - which is really hard to find outside France - then believe me you are in for an amazing journey, and this book is one of his best...