Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action, Race, and American Values [Paperback]

Christopher Edley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 1998

Rejecting simplistic left-right arguments, Christopher Edley, Jr., offers a cogent and persuasive analysis of one of the most contended issues in politics today. He makes the powerful argument that affirmative-action laws are essential to social justice in this country, though they have flaws and drawbacks (for both of which he suggests precise and sensible remedies). He shows us what is at stake in the positions our elected officials take and in the arguments we make about fairness, justice, and progress.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Harvard law professor Edley served as point man for President Clinton's affirmative action review and helped shape the "mend it, don't end it" policy the president proclaimed. His thorough, useful book shows an academic's sense of nuance and complexity. Edley acknowledges that affirmative action has risks and costs, but believes that the societal benefits justify them. While some posit that affirmative action merely remedies discrimination, Edley asserts that it also promotes "inclusion"?a term he prefers to the loaded word diversity. He warns cogently that class-based affirmative action will not close our racial gaps, though his defense of affirmative action for Hispanics and Asians could be better buttressed. Edley is most useful when he lays out distinctions, such as in suggesting that the more affirmative action relates to opportunity?as in education?the more acceptable it may be. Ultimately, the author is pragmatic: some forms of affirmative action may create white male victims (he uses the term "bystanders"), but such programs, he believes, should be minimized in favor of broader, more politically acceptable ones.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

All sides of affirmative action from the man who shaped Clinton's policy.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374525412
• ISBN-13: 978-0374525415
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whether or not you agree, this is a powerful arguement, November 13, 2000

By 

Walter Mason (Galveston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action, Race, and American Values (Paperback)

This is by far the most in depth and comprehensive arguement for Affirmative Action. Edley manages to write about this worn-thin issue with a new and interesting angle. Factually compelling as well. This is a must read for anybody at all interested in the contreversies of race-politics.