Two Nations : Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal [Paperback]

Andrew Hacker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2003

Why, despite continued efforts to increase understanding and expand opportunities, do black and white Americans still lead separate lives, continually marked by tension and hostility? In his much-lauded classic, newly updated to reflect the changing realities of race in our nation, Andrew Hacker explains the origins and meaning of racism and clarifies the conflicting theories of equality and inferiority. He paints a stark picture of racial inequality in America -- focusing on family life, education, income, and employment -- and explores the current controversies over politics, crime, and the causes of the gap between the races. Illuminating and oftentimes startling, Two Nations demonstrates how race has defined America's history and will continue to shape its future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author, a political science professor at Queens College in New York City, contends that whites' deep-rooted, pervasive racism against blacks has created "America's version of apartheid." Many white Americans, especially political conservatives, still harbor the prejudice that blacks are genetically inferior, he states. In an important, powerfully argued, dispassionate report that makes liberal use of tables and statistics, Hacker ( The End of the American Era ) documents racist attitudes and practices in the business sector, reveals the low percentage of blacks enrolled in colleges and exposes white racism in politics, employment practices and education and the public's perception of crime and welfare. Turning to blacks' "self-inflicted genocide" through drugs and street violence, he argues that white America shares a large measure of responsibility for this situation because it has fostered a racial chasm--a divide that seems likely to persist unless drastic steps are taken.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hacker, who teaches political science at Queens College, is author of many essays and book reviews on race and class. Here he expounds on the thesis that "America's two principal races"--blacks and whites--are as separate and unequal as ever. Using pointed anecdotes and statistics, Hacker takes the reader through the stigma blacks feel in this country, examining the subtext of everyday acts of bias on the part of whites toward blacks. He then compares sexuality, childbirth and family, income, employment, educational equity and performance, segregated schooling, and crime between the two groups, compellingly arguing that racism does underlie much of the lag that blacks experience in this society. Hacker's research covers history, philosophical writings, and census and other statistics. His discussion of other ethnic groups, however, is less successful (e.g., grouping Asians together in terms of educational performance). Nevertheless, this is necessary reading, recommended for all public and academic libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/91; see also Stud Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession , reviewed on p. 115.--Ed.
-Christina Carter, California State Univ. Lib., Fresno
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Rep Sub edition (April 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743238249
• ISBN-13: 978-0743238243
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What If the Shoe Fits?, June 22, 2005

By 

Poniplaizy (Mount Joy, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Nations : Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal (Paperback)

First, I would say that this book is refreshingly dispassionate and un-overheated, both qualities that have been sorely lacking in recent discussions of race. Also, there is plenty of truth in it--some explicitly stated, some not quite so obvious. But truth is a two-edged sword, and Mr. Hacker doesn't come clean about all of it. I think he truly believed he was presenting an objective discussion, and he actually came pretty close, but for a few caveats.

The book does a good job of showing the daily trials black people face, and includes a clever exercise that can jolt you into awareness of just how much you do value your white skin. It also talks straight about how much racism runs deep underground or happens behind the façade of political correctness, and about both sides of the slavery issue. But it runs into trouble in a few ways. First, the author theorizes that other minorities such as Asians and Jews, become "honorary whites" by virtue of their achievements. He thinks the dichotomy is white/nonwhite, but I think it's just the opposite: black/nonblack. Nobody thinks Asians or Arabs are white, but because they're not black, they get more openings and more respect than black people do.

Then there is the statistical data. In every chapter, Hacker gives plenty of it, but then explains or excuses away what the numbers say. And some of his arguments are pretty specious. He says that blacks do less well in school because the oppressive presence of whites makes them feel so hopeless they just give up before they start. Well, that's on a par with my saying that I never did well in math because the fact that there were Asian kids in my class made me feel so insecure I didn't even try. If I'd tried that excuse at home, my parents would've laughed in my face and then told me to quit blaming everybody else, get off my hind end, and either hit the books or go to my teacher for extra help. Hacker never connects the dots, but the data say that blacks have sex earlier and less responsibly; do poorly in school and are more likely to drop out; and commit a disproportionate amount of crime, usually on each other.

Hacker offers the usual explanation for all this: It's white people's fault. I'm willing to grant that it's probably not a lot of fun to be black, and that blacks have suffered some unbelievable injustices that still sting and probably leave a psychological residue. But Hacker leaves unsaid the problem that blacks keep digging their own graves in a lot of ways. He seems to think white guilt is some kind of solution to the problem; but what would feelings of guilt really accomplish without action? And I mean action on the part of both whites and blacks. Nobody's saying pretend all those terrible things never happened--but nobody's holding a gun to anyone's head telling them to start having babies in their teens, drop out of school, start dealing drugs, and commit crimes on their fellow citizens either. At some point you have to take some personal responsibility.

How to achieve a real solution? I don't know. I felt unsettled after reading the book, like only half the story had been told. I understand that the author is a journalist and that presenting current reality is his job, and he does it very well. I hope he will write a follow-up where he explores possible solutions, because an intelligent, even-handed, level-headed discussion could only benefit everyone.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hacker's personal guilt must be all consuming, September 29, 2009

By 

R. Lohaus (St.Louis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Two Nations : Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal (Paperback)

I chose to read this book for a history course, wanting to spread my wings a bit and examine a point-of-view I don't consider often enough. Certainly, I am not the white man Mr. Hacker imagines all white people to be. Even if one considers himself a good person judging people on merit rather than skin color that should not be the end of the discussion. All Americans need to recognize and honestly look at the current state of race relations in our country. If we can look at things with an honest eye, we can then attempt to fix the problems that do plague race in our country.

On the other hand, this book is useless in a more practical sense and even harmful. Hacker makes innumerable blanket statements about white people (of which I am one and he is one). I get a strong sense that Mr. Hacker is experiencing transference in place of any sort of objective analysis. He claims to write about the "realities" of race relations, but make no mistake; he is telling you his personal opinion on the subject from start to finish. He weaves into the story many statistics, but you cannot find any number of statistics that can support blanket statements about the hearts of people. His analysis is highly biased, composed of many statements that cannot possibly be true. He appoints himself of the personal spokesman of white people's deepest, thoughts, feelings, and prejudices. Only on such a touchy subject is such marginal scholarship praised.

I have lived in the lower middle class all of my life and attended a school in which I was a minority. I have had black friends and got a decent view of black culture. I am not a perfect person, but I do try to keep my prejudices about a great many things under control, including race. I was raised in a household where my father was a hateful racist, and I had to overcome my learned prejudices. I do not suffer guilt about being white, my conscience is clean. That is not to say that I believe there is equality and justice in race relations, there is not. Yet, going off the deep end bloviating and stereotyping does zero to move the race discussion forward. Unfortunately, some people might take Hacker seriously when he suggests that all or most white people believe black people are inferior. If people like Mr. Hacker are to define future race discussions in our country, I have already jumped ship. Of course, Mr. Hacker has an answer at the ready for me; I am simply lying about my true feelings. That is the core flaw in all of his reasoning and the fatal in his book. Maybe Hacker and Kreskin can team up for his next book on race, maybe giving some validity to his mind reading.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hacker uses brilliant prose to animate statistics., May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Two Nations : Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal (Paperback)

While Hacker uses statistics to illustrate the divide between black and white America, his book is anything but dry. Furthermore, while Hacker is an academic, he avoids the text book type of writing that many academics are known for. Two Nations is interesting, provocative and should be required reading in any class that attempts to address the problems of race in America. Although Hacker's book doesn't provide any solutions, he doesn't proport to. He is truly the foremost writer on race in America. Read Two Nations and find out why.