One Nation Indivisible is a warning about the future of America: If we continue to pursue policies of racial separation, our children and grandchildren may no longer be citizens of one great and united land.Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson warns that we are courting racial and ethnic separation at the very moment we should be seeking unity. Both majorities and minorities are adopting separatist practices, and even our courts endorse separatist principles at the expense of equal treatment under the law. For Wilkinson, these policies are chilling echoes of the rigid division he recalls from growing up in a segregated state. Rather than unite us, even well-intended separatism solidifies racial barriers and guarantees our country a future of ethnic strife.Wilkinson praises the multiculturalism of New America, criticizing those who assail immigration or belittle the contributions of minorities. But he laments the dangers of affirmative action based on racial goals and the pitfalls of education that does not help immigrants acculturate. He uses his own run for Congress to show how voting districts drawn on racial lines marginalize minorities. Rejecting the notion of an Inaccessible Racial Experience, he warns that speech codes based on that idea prevent us from even discussing our problems.One Nation Indivisible challenges us as Americans—do we want to enter the twenty-first century united or separate? “If we do not change our course,” Wilkinson warns, “our hopes for national unity will be overtaken by the reality of racial division.”
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The United States has never been as racially and ethnically diverse as right now, writes federal judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, III. In 1980, there were only a handful of Chinese restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama. Today, there are more than 60. But diversity isn't just about cuisine. It poses significant cultural and legal challenges, and Wilkinson is concerned that old-fashioned thinking about race could push his country in dangerous directions. Don't "take Model T civil rights law onto the multicultural superhighway," he warns. Wilkinson advances many conservative ideas (such as getting rid of racial preferences), but does so in a humane way that should appeal to liberals.
From Booklist
A federal appellate judge decries in nonlegalistic terms what he argues is rending national unity: trends toward ethnic communalism and self-segregation in America. On this hot issue, Wilkinson keeps a cool head, but his main proposal, termination of affirmative action programs, won't endear him to supporters of them. However, he writes passionately on behalf of an idealized U.S. nationalism dedicated to equality before law, which even advocates of racially classified legal categories would support, absent realities of discrimination from whites. So Wilkinson acknowledges that such discrimination exists, and readers can judge if he soft-pedals it. His argument against a welter of race-conscious remedies--quotas in university admissions, bilingual education, minority-majority electoral districts--is a cogent explication of the color-blind ideal, and, delivered in an optimistic tone, may appeal to readers worn out by the exhausting atmosphere of race relations in the post-O. J. era. Gilbert Taylor
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Power of Simple Observation,
By A Customer
This review is from: One Nation Indivisible: How Ethnic Separatism Threatens America (Hardcover)
When someone is granted power for life to make decisions affecting lives as diverse as the self-important "bluebloods" from Richmond, VA and the bluegum Gulla'... sweetgrass weavers of the South Carolina Lowcountry; we should hope they at least care about cultural differences in America. This Judge cares. In his book, "One Nation Indivisible", Judge Wilkinson offers thoughtful arguments rooted in personal experiences and observations. He must sleep with one eye open 'cause he doesn't miss much when expressing his frustrations about the current direction of America's cultural affairs. Judge Wilkinson, like others of priviledge who built upon and did not bilk their opportunities, will no doubt be dismissed by some social critics who seem to always be more concerned with where someone's from than where they are and where they are going. The places Judge Wilkinson suggests we go ought be considered. Someone else said, "Good judgement comes from experience; and much of our experience comes from bad judgement." If you're lucky, where you come from (or just where you happen to be) provides an opportunity through the power of simple observation to gain experience, and thus "good judgement"... simply by observing the bad judgement of others. Judge Wilkinson is from somewhere and in a place today that permits him to observe a great deal. It will always be true that we have more to learn (that's worth knowing) by observing the "good judgement" of others. We all need to stop making the same mistakes over and over. How many times have you witnessed a "celebrity" botch the Pledge of Allegiance? How often do any of us say it... or try to live it? We can all learn something from this thoughtful federal judge.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thoughtful glance from the bench,
This review is from: One Nation Indivisible: How Ethnic Separatism Threatens America (Hardcover)
Of this much we can be certain: Judge J Harvie Wilkinson III is one of America's pre-eminent jurists. With subtlety, nuance and a fierce wit, the author explores one of the powder-kegs of American politics: racial relations. He comes out strongly against racial preferences, race-based gerrymandering, and the politics of ethnic separatism.
However his argument is tailored in such a way as to appeal to even the most woolly liberals. He shows compassion, understanding, and a willingness to concede that his opponents are well-meaning. A marvellous book, well-argued and -written; a thoroughly persuasive criticism of American liberalism's flawed approach to questions of race and multiculturalism. America needs more people like Judge J Harvie Wilkinson III on the bench; he is thoughtful, articulate and persuasive.
4 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Content of this book is like tissue paper.,
By A Customer
This review is from: One Nation Indivisible: How Ethnic Separatism Threatens America (Hardcover)
This book would never have been published if the author were not a federal judge. Entire book consists of "On the one hand, A, but on the other hand, B," as the beginning of each paragraph. The rest of each paragraph is then filled with multiple quotes from multiple other persons. There is only one idea or concept in the book which is repeated over and over and over. Moreover, no matter how many times the author repeats himself, there is so much equivocation that whatever point the author may think he is making, it never really becomes clear to the reader what that point is.
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