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No Matter What...They'll Call This Book Racist: How our Fear of Talking Honestly About Race Hurts Us All [Hardcover]

Harry Stein
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 17, 2012
In the Age of Obama, the ugly charge of racism is more prevalent than ever. Why? Because telling the truth about racial profiling, crime, the social fallout of single parent homes, and the ways racial preferences distort the very meaning of equity and justice would mean facing up to the soul-destroying pathologies of urban black culture. Instead, black leaders and their guilty white allies focus tirelessly on historic oppression and the supposed need for more government aid, and demonize those who challenge their shopworn views as—what else?—racist.

In No Matter What . . . They’ll Call This Book Racist, Harry Stein attacks the rigid prohibitions that have long governed the conversation about race, not to offend or shock (though they certainly will) but to provoke the serious thinking that liberal enforcers have until now rendered impossible. Stein examines the ways in which the regime of racial preferences has sown division, corruption, and resentment in this country. He pays special attention to the stifling falsehood that it is racism that continues to mire millions of underclass blacks in physical and spiritual poverty. by far the greater problem, says Stein, is the culture of destructive attitudes and behaviors that denies those in its grip the means of escape.

For all the remarkable progress this country has made on race in the past half century, liberals insist, for their own political and psychological purposes, on clinging to the notion of America as irredeemably racist. All of us—and especially black people—for too long have been living with the terrible consequences of that cruel canard.

Frequently Bought Together

No Matter What...They'll Call This Book Racist: How our Fear of Talking Honestly About Race Hurts Us All + "White Girl Bleed a Lot" (5th Edition): The return of racial violence and how the media ignore it. + Escape from Detroit:The Collapse of America's Black Metropolis
Price for all three: $44.84

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"No book I've read better captures (and documents) the utter disingenuousness of America's racial politics over the past half century—the lazy moral unctuousness of white guilt on the one hand, the shakedown mentality of today's civil rights establishment on the other. But what makes this a compelling read is the way Stein—a cultural journeyer—finds his own moral and political center by unraveling this recent history. He certainly will be called a "racist," which is why this book is so brave."

—Shelby Steele

"I sometimes hear from parents who have been appalled to learn that the child they sent away to college to become educated has instead been indoctrinated with the creed of the left. They often ask if I can suggest something to have their offspring read over the summer, in order to counteract this indoctrination.This year the answer is a no-brainer: No Matter What... They'll Call This Book Racist by Harry Stein. In a little over 200 very readable pages, the author deftly devastates with facts the nonsense about race that dominates much of what is said in the media and in academia...Stein says that his purpose is 'to talk honestly about race.' He accomplishes that purpose in a fact-filled book that should be a revelation, especially to young people of any race, who have been fed a party line in schools and colleges across America."

—Thomas Sowell

About the Author

A journalist and novelist, Harry Stein is the author of How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (and Found Inner Peace) and I Can’t Believe I’m Sitting Next to a Republican. He is a contributing editor to City Journal.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Encounter Books; First American Edition, 1st Printing edition (April 17, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594036004
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594036002
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author


A graduate of Pomona College and Columbia's School of Journalism, over the course of his career Harry Stein has authored eleven books, both fiction and non-fiction; co-founded a magazine in Paris; and worked as a columnist for publications ranging from TV Guide to Esquire, where he created the Ethics column, among the most popular features in that magazine's long history. Since the publication in 2000 of his 'How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (and Found Inner Peace),' recounting his journey to conservatism from the precincts of the left, he has been known primarily for his writing on politics and popular culture. He is currently a contributing editor at City Journal.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
132 of 142 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A couple of weeks ago, I read an advance copy of Harry Stein's ("How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and Found Inner Peace," "I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican") latest "No Matter What, They'll Call This Book Racist" (Encounter Books, release date 4/17/12). In light of the Soldedad O'Brien Critical Race Theory embarrassment and the geschrei from the usual gang of thugs about voter ID laws, I half-jokingly thought that the author could delay publishing the book, but the minute it goes to press something else is sure to happen. Cue the Trayvon Martin incident.

Race-baiting, demagoguery and the perpetuation of the eternal victim myth have allowed the left to keep black America in bondage for over 50 years while the merchants of multiculturalism eat away at our society and pervert Dr. King's credo of content of character over color of skin. The book dovetails history with current events as it examines, as liberals like to say, the real "root causes" of why black America is the way it is; affirmative action, the absent black father, multiculturalism and today's black culture that applauds reprehensible behavior as "authentic" while persecuting "Uncle Toms" and "sellouts" who have rejected this and embraced and thrived in mainstream America. There's also a fascinating chapter comparing the lives and beliefs of the forgotten Booker T. Washington and the wrongly celebrated W.E.B. DuBois and, crucially one spotlighting black conservatives who are the hope for the future. And who knew that Eldridge Cleaver, in his later years, not only castigated black America for embracing Islam but became a conservative and Republican?

Definitely a must-read, especially in light of what is happening now. It's crucial, I think, to not be silenced about what's going on here and have the courage to speak honestly and openly about this issue.
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90 of 97 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Eric Holder, please read this book April 17, 2012
Format:Hardcover
I've been a devoted fan of Harry Stein's essays, fiction and political
books for thirty years now. His latest outing, `No Matter What They'll
Call This Book Racist' is perhaps his best and certainly most
important achievement yet. And with the Martin-Zimmerman case
dominating the headlines, airwaves, and national conversation, it
couldn't be timelier. `No Matter What They'll Call This Book Racist'
is a superbly written, riveting, all-encompassing examination of the
most divisive and endlessly troubling issue in American history.

As Stein notes in the beginning, right after assuming office, Attorney
General Eric Holder gave a speech commemorating Black History month in
which he called the American people `a nation of cowards.' As if it
weren't one of the most argued and discussed subjects of the last
half-century, Holder called for a national dialogue on the subject of
race. Well, there's nothing cowardly about `No Matter What They'll
Call this Book Racist.' But I have a funny feeling that this is not
the sort of one-sided mea culpa dialogue Holder had in mind. On the
contrary, this is an honest, no holds-barred attack on those who have
been allowed to control the racial narrative far too long.

The title, as Stein acknowledges, came from a Tea Party demonstrator who held
aloft the message: `No matter what this sign says they'll still call
it racist.' If not original, it's a masterful pre-emptive strike
against his inevitable detractors. I only hope he's got his seatbelt
fastened and crash helmet on. For just as surely as the sun will rise
tomorrow in the east, the race card players will be out in full force
and fury when word of this book gets around; although the MSM will
pretend it never hit the racks. As important a contribution to
Holder's `national dialogue' as this entry is, if it's reviewed, even
unfavorably, in the NY Times or Washington Post I'll be astonished.

As Stein amply documents throughout these pages, the largest subset of
racists in America today are on the left. When a conservative crosses
the arbitrary line and writes or says something racially insensitive,
he is immediately taken to task by his brethren on the right. But as
Stein notes, when Clarence Thomas is labeled an `Uncle Tom' so-called
`progressives' are mute. Instead of attempting to rebut conservative
arguments they resort to the expletives of the elementary school
playground. Like a gifted athlete or virtuoso musician, Harry Stein is
one of those writers who make his craft look easy. It is anything but.
Remindful of Victor Davis Hanson, another favorite essayist of mine,
he deftly intermixes the personal with the universal. Absorbing his
words, you feel as though you're benefiting from a conversation with
an old friend who has a lot to say and expresses it much better than
you ever will. Thirty years ago this personal approach was termed the
`New Journalism,' its foremost practitioner Tom Wolfe. I can assure
you there's nothing dated about `No Matter What....' Stein speaks to
his reader from the heart, his humanity evident on each and every
page, his aspirations for justice and equality for black America
undeniable.

Make no mistake, this is a complicated book. It will not
be easy to convey its content or importance during three to five
minute interviews. But it is an important book which ought to be read
by anyone who's struggled with the crucible of race and its
counter-productive impact on American society. If I still taught
American history I'd assign it as a text. If I had it within my power
I'd make Eric Holder read it,. I recommend it highly. They say you
learn something every day. Read this book and you'll learn a thousand
things by the time you close its covers. I predict that you won't be
able to put it down.
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67 of 73 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Frank Discussion of Race Politics in America April 23, 2012
Format:Hardcover
The subject of race is the most polarizing and contentious topic in American politics. Given America's history, it is not hard to see why. The legacy of slavery, Civil war, and Civil rights struggle has left an indelible mark on the American soul. Nonetheless, America as a whole has come a long way in terms of its race relations. Americans of all ages and walks of life have become increasingly less racist in their outlook, and the ugliest instances of racism have all but vanished from most places. However, over the past half a century there has been a steady increase in the cottage industry of race-baiters and professional race-centered activists.

Harry Stein is one of the most insightful and self-deprecatingly amusing cultural commentators in America today. His book I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican was a Godsend to all of us conservatives living in an overwhelmingly liberal environments. In that book Stein has used his own experiences and observations to turn the mirror on smug liberals living inside echo chambers and expose the paucity of their thoughts and arguments when faced with actual dissent. Now, in "No matter what ..." Stein is taking on the subject of race, one of the most sacrosanct pillars in the liberal pantheon of political and social issues. With his characteristic bluntness and sincerity, Stein talks about the issues that have dominated the politics of race for decades. Unfortunately, most of those issues have become so controversial that just talking about them can label someone a "racist," the fact that Stein alludes to in the very title of this book. Knowing full well that too many people's careers have been sunk on the iceberg of race, Stein's uncompromising approach is nothing short of courageous. Many of us who relish frank open discourse on even the most controversial topics are grateful for it.

This book deal with all the "usual suspects": affirmative action, absentee fathers, crime, multiculturalism, "acting white," and several others that crop up in headlines and discussions of race in general. Stein uses his refined journalistic and writing skills to expose the fallacies of many officially sanctioned opinions and attitudes, and try to bring much needed common sense to this difficult topic. Unfortunately, the subject of race doesn't lend itself too well to humor - especially when dealt with by a white writer - so this book is not quite as amusing as one would have expected form Stein's other writings.

My one big misgiving about this book stems from the way that it portrays the research on cognitive ability in general, and the unflattering stance it takes towards the Bell Curve in particular. The "Bell Curve" has now for almost two decades been vilified as the preeminently racist book, and anyone who dares to write approvingly about any aspect of it loses almost any respect in the mainstream intellectual and cultural circles. This is extremely unfortunate since in my opinion that is one of the most magnificent works of scholarship that ever made an impact outside the narrow confines of academia, and it significantly challenged many of the prevailing social assumption, and not leas of which are those about the races. Yes, the message of that book can be really hard to swallow, but only if we cling to the Lockean understanding of human nature as a tabula rasa ready to be painted over with whatever cultural paint we are willing to apply. It may be that Stein has intellectual disagreement with the kinds of arguments presented in the "Bell Curve." However, based on the extremely superficial and selective presentation of the arguments from that book I cannot but conclude that his objections are primarily ideological. This is extremely unfortunate, and Stein manages to add to the demonization of the "Bell Curve" and its authors, and thus is guilty of the same ideological narrow-mindedness that he rightly accuses the left of in the title of his own book.

Despite my misgivings, this is an important and well-written book that will challenge some assumptions and provoke strong reactions. As it should, and as any good book with coherent arguments that fly in the face of prevailing intellectual and cultural mores ought to do. Unfortunately, from my experience the politics of race is extremely entrenched and not easily altered by well-formulated arguments and appeal to facts. From that standpoint I have my doubts on how much "No matter what ..." will be able to accomplish in shaping public opinion. What I do find encouraging, and what this book alludes to on several occasions, is that American people, away from the pundit, intellectuals, and politicians, are growing far less obsessed with race and racial politics. These trends are particularly noticeable to those of us who have been immersed in social, as opposed to mainstream, media sources. The kind of race interactions and discussions that emerge in this realm are qualitatively different from what the "official" media outlets engage in, and are much closer to the kinds of discussions that happen "behind closed doors." It is here that I see people much more willing to speak frankly about issues of race, and be much less unduly offended when uncomfortable topics are brought up. And it's because of these online interactions that I believe that Harry Stein's book will find a very receptive audience.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A book everyone should read
Harry Stein takes a clear eyed look at modern black culture and its problems, taking to task the philosophies of dependence and victimization that have poisoned so much of it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stan Kerr
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
This is a excellent book. It describes what is happenng in our culture. I strongly recomend this book for a good read/
Published 3 months ago by P.J. from N.Y.N.Y. N
4.0 out of 5 stars An honest debate about race!
This is one of many books that over recent years has attempted to discuss the issue of race in an honest no holds barred way. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done Mr. Stein
A very thoughtful book about the insanity of our racial attitudes. President Obama's election was supposed to usher in an era of racial harmony. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Moberly
5.0 out of 5 stars Alabama Princess 80
I just finished this book. I am a black woman and must confess that he is telling the truth. I have questioned affirmative action for years. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BamaPrincess80
2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New Here -
Amazon recently cut the price on this book to $2, and after reading it I can understand why - Stein's simply provided a rehash of old news discussed by others, without adding... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Loyd E. Eskildson
5.0 out of 5 stars Another sad tale of just how bad our "news" media is in this...
In so far as I was familiar with a great deal of what was presented for evidence in this book, I already knew much of the truth of the examples used. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bleach
5.0 out of 5 stars Hyper-Sensitivity Understood
A Great Read. The Hyper-sensitive and Hypocritical weapons of the
Left/Progressive/Liberal exposed for what they really are.
You don't have to believe me... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Commish
5.0 out of 5 stars No matter what... this book will make liberals uneasy.
Americans love the underdog. From John Henry and his hammers to Ol' Yeller, we Americans can't help but identify with and root for the little guy. But you know what? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jeff A. Simon
4.0 out of 5 stars You probably already know if you will like this book.
I picked up this book after seeing it referenced in an internet video about political correctness and I liked it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Michael Eldredge
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