Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America by Eugene Robinson, Paperback, 9780767929967 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America

The Splintering of Black America

Author: Eugene Robinson  

Explains how years of desegregation and affirmative action have led to the revelation of four distinct African American groups who reflect unique political views and circumstances, in a report that also illuminates crucial modern debates on race and class.

Read more
Product Unavailable

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Explains how years of desegregation and affirmative action have led to the revelation of four distinct African American groups who reflect unique political views and circumstances, in a report that also illuminates crucial modern debates on race and class.

Read more

Description

The African American population in the United States has always been seen as a single entity: a “Black America” with unified interests and needs. In his groundbreaking book, Disintegration, Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson argues that over decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America has shattered. Instead of one black America, now there are four:

• a Mainstream middle-class majority with a full ownership stake in American society;

• a large, Abandoned minority with less hope of escaping poverty and dysfunction than at any time since Reconstruction’s crushing end;

• a small Transcendent elite with such enormous wealth, power, and influence that even white folks have to genuflect;

• and two newly Emergent groups—individuals of mixed-race heritage and communities of recent black immigrants—that make us wonder what “black” is even supposed to mean.

Read more

Critic Reviews

“PRAISE FOR DISINTEGRATION : "In Disintegration , Eugene Robinson neatly explodes decades' worth of lazy generalizations about race in America. At the same time, he raises new questions about community, invisibility, and the virtues and drawbacks of assimilation. An important book." -Gwen Ifill "Gene Robinson's Disintegration is the first popular salvo in the Age of Obama regarding the delicate issues of class division, generation gap, and elite obsession in Black America. This painful conversation must continue--and we have Gene Robinson as a useful guide." -Cornel West PRAISE FOR COAL TO CREAM : "A sorely needed new kind of book about race in America, one that does not simplify the intractable problem but doesn't traffic in easy doom either. . . . It is a breath of fresh air." -Anthony Walton, The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.”

“A deftly written account of the fragmentation of America’s black population.” —Time

“[A] sober, careful and engaging consideration of phenomena that began with the official end of segregation and has of late been accelerating. . . . Those familiar with [Robinson’s] style will find Disintegration the same blend of logical analysis and gentle humor that makes him sometimes appear to be the Most Reasonable Man in America.” —SF Gate
 
“[A] bold call to action . . . [Disintegration] makes clear that Robinson’s success, and the success of his fellow black fortunates, simply do not negate the problems of the other 30% of blacks who continue to struggle at the bottom.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“The text would be useful as a young person’s introduction to Race in America 101.” —The New Republic

“Readers don’t have to agree with Robinson’s observations to appreciate the undeniable differences within black America and to maybe want further analysis.” —Booklist
 
“In this clear-eyed and compassionate study, Robinson . . . marshals persuasive evidence that the African-American population has splintered into four distinct and increasingly disconnected entities. . . . Of particular interest is the discussion of how immigrants from Africa, the ‘best-educated group coming to live in the United States,’ are changing what being black means.” —Publishers Weekly

"In Disintegration, Eugene Robinson neatly explodes decades' worth of lazy generalizations about race in America. At the same time, he raises new questions about community, invisibility, and the virtues and drawbacks of assimilation. An important book." —Gwen Ifill

"Gene Robinson's Disintegration is the first popular salvo in the Age of Obama regarding the delicate issues of class division, generation gap, and elite obsession in Black America. This painful conversation must continue--and we have Gene Robinson as a useful guide." —Cornel West




Read more

About the Author

EUGENE ROBINSON joined the Washington Post in 1980, where he has served as London bureau chief, foreign editor, and, currently, associate editor and columnist. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and in 2009, Robinson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. Disintegration is his third book.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Anchor Books | Anchor
Published
4th October 2011
Pages
254
ISBN
9780767929967

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

Product Unavailable