Afrolantica Legacies

by Derrick A. Bell

Derrick Bell is perhaps best known for the principled stand he took at Harvard in 1990 when he quit his tenured position on the law-school faculty to protest the school's failure to grant tenure to a black woman. Now a visiting professor at New York Law School, Bell is still deeply interested in issues of race relations and has chosen to explore the subject fictionally in Afrolantica Legacies. In a nutshell, the story goes like this: a mysterious...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0883781999
• ISBN13: 9780883781999
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Third World Press
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Look at Race Relations

Derrick Bell is the well known former Harvard law professor who left his tenured position at Harvard because of the school's refusal to deal equitably with women of color. He has written a number of books, and those featuring Geneva Crenshaw are among his best. This latest book focuses on racism, and takes a deeper look at Jewish-black relationships, and the property rights in white skin color. While most thinking black Americans wouldn't find much to challenge here, many whites will find this a disturbing book on a number of levels. The statement made by the fictional president of the USA that "we can no longer afford whiteness as an assumed right of citizenship" is one which should engender serious thinking among whites who want to really understand 21st century America. Even though this book was published in 1998, the issues it raises have not disappeared with the change in the century, increased numbers of "mixed" race children, and increased intermarriage between American blacks and others. Would I buy this book? Yes. Would I keep it? Yes. This is a worthy read with plenty to think about.

FAscinating

What I found most impressive about this book is the way it challenges assumptions and attitudes about Jewish racism and hegemony. Bell is a courageous and brilliant writer, and this is the best novel I have read in several months. And as a feminist and white woman, I found it much more interesting than many other books by white writers who attempt to address these issues. Highly recommended.

A gem. Bell Is Right on Target

Derrick Bell returns to his "legal fiction", which again proves fascinating. Prof. Bell amplifies the sub rosa elements of race relations in the US, and holds them up to the light. This is a great read for any thinking person. Not to be missed.