Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America (Paperback)

~ John McWhorter (Author, Afterword) "These quotes are from books written in the 1990s by successful black men..." (more)
Key Phrases: niggardly episode, scholarly lag, black school performance, Black English, New York, African Americans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For the past two decades, an academic cottage industry has developed to analyze--and some would say overemphasize--the social and educational problems of African Americans. Such writers as Dinesh D'Souza, Shelby Steele, Armstrong Williams, and Ken Hamblin have all contributed in this area; now add to that list John McWhorter, a Berkeley linguistics professor and the author of Word on the Street, an examination of Ebonics and Black English. The basic idea he presents in this occasionally insightful if flawed book is that African Americans are not advancing socially as a result of victimology, separatism, and anti-intellectualism.

According to the author, victimology "has become a keystone of cultural blackness to treat victimhood not as a problem to be solved but as an identity to be nurtured," while "separatism encourages black Americans to conceive of black people as an unofficial sovereign entity, within which the rules other Americans are expected to follow are suspended out of a belief that our victimhood renders us morally exempt from them." Anti-intellectualism is a belief that "school is a 'white' endeavor." McWhorter suggests that only blacks embrace such opinions, placing most of the blame on them while underemphasizing the institutional racism that facilitates such views. Needless to say, McWhorter has no love for the likes of Al Sharpton, Hazel Carby, June Jordan, or Patricia Williams and their ilk. His chapter on Ebonics, his specialty, is the most nuanced, though certainly not the final word on the matter. And though some readers will be turned off by his use of tired anti-affirmative-action, right-wing clichés, anyone interested in the education of African Americans in the post civil rights era will find Losing the Race a worthy read. --Eugene Holley Jr. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Are African-Americans using past racial injustices as an excuse for not working to take advantage of contemporary opportunities? McWhorter, a linguistics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, thinks he has the answers to this question and othersAand he points the finger directly at the black community. Starting with the premise that white racism is no longer the threat it once was, McWhorter singles out "the cult of victimology" and the glorification of white racism as a major cause for several social crises afflicting African-Americans. Offering little that has not been said previously by conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Shelby Steele, McWhorter uses a cookie-cutter approach to explain away recent race pressure points such as the arson directed against black churches, the high proportion of black inmates in America's prisons, the practice of racial profiling and police brutality. In each case, he finds fault with the African-American community's interpretation of these situations, accusing African-Americans of hypersensitivity to racial bias and a reluctance to relinquish the past. Victimology, as well as separatism, in his words, "gives failure, lack of effort and criminality a tacit stamp of approval." Most disturbing, his suggestion that a cultural trait drives the low scholastic performance of black youth borders on the views of those who consider heredity the cause of blacks' poor performance on standardized tests. Like many of the new black conservatives, McWhorter spends much time going after liberal columnists and social critics, attacking both their intent and message. Even his closing segmentA"How Can We Save the African-American Race?"Asounds more like a well-worn campaign speech than a call to initiate a dialogue on race in the African-American community and the nation. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1 edition (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060935936
• ISBN-13: 978-0060935931
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #238,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

166 of 181 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After reading both the book and the reviews...., October 13, 2000

By	William R. Tuddle (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America (Hardcover)

it seems to me the people who disliked the book are usually the ones who saw themselves in the book but did not like what the saw.

As a Black Man I agree 100% with McWhorter. The black people who do not choose to be blind to the truth. They would prefer to blame others for their own failings. That is not new. It is a story as old as man. It is easier to blame "the man" than actually taking responsibility for your own actions.

In effect, it is great he gets negative reviews from people who admit to not reading the book. It proves his points more powerfully than he ever could.

Like they say, Buy the book, don't wait for the movie.

Bill

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes the truth hurts!, June 5, 2001

By	Claudia "cmlacour" (Port Arthur, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America (Hardcover)

As an African-American high school teacher, I can wholeheartedly agree with much of what McWhorter says. It has puzzled me for quite some time why, despite having educated parents, equal access to resources an intricate knowledge of the educational system, and extra attention from me as well as the other black teachers, my African-American students were routinely the worst in any of the classes I taught. They put forth less effort, are less ambitious, and seem permanently indignant at being challenged and expected to work hard. By contrast, the Nigerian, Senegalese, and West Indian students I taught turned in work of the same caliber as my White and Asian students. Like McWhorter, I also grew weary of trying to make excuses for students who really had no barriers to achieving success, especially when being educated side-by-side with students who looked just like they did.

Apparently a few of the previous reviewers missed McWhorter's point, as he predicted they would. For example, one reviewer points out "gender equity" and the fact that the book does not address this. The title of the book is "Losing the Race," not "Losing the Boys," or "Losing the Girls." Discussing gender equity would have been an unneccessary detour in subject matter. The reason for the gender gap is easily explained anyway: lack of black male "academic" role models, boys focus more on athletics, and also have other options that females tend to approach less avidly, such as the military and technical fields which don't necessarily require degrees. Regardless of even this, Mr. McWhorter is addressing the LACK OF QUALITY of Afican-American students IN GENERAL, not just the NUMBERS.

This book is a must-read for black parents, teachers, and administrators in particular, but also for anyone who is looking for a fresh take on the race debate.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Thinking Black Person Should Read This Book, April 10, 2002

By A Customer

I first heard McWhorter speak on National Public Radio. Curious about his work, I read his book. I'm very glad I did. McWhorter discusses a theory about Black people in the United States that is more radical, uncomfortable, and life-changing than anything since the 1960s: Black people, as a group, are not getting ahead in America not because of racism (although it definitely sitll exists) but because of a mind-set of Victimization, Separatism, and Anti-Intellectualism. McWhorter dares to say something people like Al Sharpton and other prominent Black figures would never speak: in many important ways, it's OUR fault we are where we are. The statistical evidence presented in the book is incomplete, but McWhorter does point out many sociological trends to support his arguments, such as how African and Carribean immigrants as a group do better in school than American Blacks, not because they are smarter but because of the way they approach and value education, and how Black American students consistently rank in the bottom portions of stnadardized tests regardless of how sucessful their parents are or if they live in the suburbs or the ghetto.

Even if you do not agree with his arguments, I would encourage you to read this book. At the very least it is a refreshing change from the "Blame Whitey" party line that has dominated African-American social thought for the last 40 years.