The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780307455550)

A "provocative and richly insightful new book" (The New York Times Book Review) that gives us a shrewd and penetrating analysis of the complex relationship between the first black president and his African-American constituency.

Renowned for his insightful, common-sense critiques of racial politics, Randall Kennedy now tackles such hot-button issues as the nature of racial opposition to Obama; whether Obama has a singular responsibility to African Americans; the differences in Obama's presentation of himself to blacks and to whites; the challenges posed by the dream of a post-racial society; the increasing irrelevance of a certain kind of racial politics and its consequences; the complex symbolism of Obama's achievement and his own obfuscations and evasions regarding racial justice.

Eschewing the critical excesses of both the left and the right, Kennedy offers an incisive view of Obama's triumphs and travails, his strengths and weaknesses, as they pertain to the troubled history of race in America.

Author: Randall Kennedy
ISBN-10: 0307455556
ISBN-13: 9780307455550
Publisher: Vintage
Language: English
Published: 04/17/2012
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.25w x 0.75d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 05/27/2012 pg. 24