Saving the Race

W.E.B. Du Bois's "The Souls of Black Folk "is one of the most influential books ever published in this country. In it, Du Bois wrote that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line," a prophecy that is as fresh and poignant today as when it first appeared in print in 1903. Now, one hundred years after "The Souls of Black Folk" was first published, "Saving the Race "reexamines the legacy of Du Bois and his "color line" prophecy from a modern viewpoint. The author, Rebecca Carroll, a biracial woman who was reared by white parents, not only provides her own personal perspective, but she invites eighteen well-known African Americans to share their ideas and opinions about what Du Bois's classic text means today. Lalita Tademy, author Stanley Crouch, cultural critic, novelist A'Lelia Bundles, great-great-granddaughter of Madame C.J. Walker, author " "David Graham Du Bois, stepson of W.E.B. Du Bois, writer, teacher, activist Toure, novelist, contributing writer for "Rolling Stone" magazine Julian Bond, chairman of the board, NAACP Thelma Golden, chief curator and deputy director for exhibitions and programs at the Studio Museum of Harlem Kathleen Cleaver, former communications secretary of the Black Panther party Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., civil rights leader and lawyer Cory Booker, former New Jersey councilman, mayoral candidate, activist Jewell Jackson McCabe, founder and president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Derrick Bell, professor of law, New York University Elizabeth Alexander, poet and writer Clarence Major, author, poet, artist Terence Blanchard, horn player, film composer Reverend Dr. James Forbes, senior minister of Riverside Church, New York Patricia Smith, poet LeAlan Jones, author The result is an insightful and illuminating collection of interviews both provocative and inspiring. "Saving the Race "paints a fascinating, complicated, and colorful portrait about the "souls of black folk" in twenty-first century America.

Review :
"These thought-provoking reminiscences on race recapture the spirit of W. E. B. Du Bois, and join it to a sensibility of our time." -Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States 1492-Present" "Rebecca Carroll has written a heart-rending, subtle and very personal commentary on the division between American blacks and whites, one that cannot fail to beguile its readers." -Louis Begley, author of "Shipwreck" and "About Schmidt" "I was deeply moved--and enlightened--by Rebecca Carroll's book of reflection on Du Bois's classic. The voices of the well-known African-Americans were revealing, but it was the personal memoir of Carroll herself that really knocked me out. It is a perfect guide in reading "The Souls of Black Folk."" -Studs Terkel, author of "Race "