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Book Review of Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism

Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism
Wildhog3 avatar reviewed on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


The best audience for this book is white people with open minds. Rush Limburger listeners and readers of The Weekly Standard probably need not apply. Those who watch FOX news need it most, but would probably not get through the first chapter. The theme is that racism is so integral a part of American life that no matter what blacks do to better their lot, they are doomed to fail as long as the majority of whites do not see that their own well-being is threatened by the inferior status of blacks. Professor Bell lays out his case drawing on legal precedence and historical experience. Looking it over, it is hard not to pull it from my list and read it again.