Searching for the Promised Land: An African American's Optimistic Odyssey

By Gary Franks

Congress's first black conservative explains what it's like to be a politically incorrect African American in today's culture. Offering a trenchant analysis of black politics in America today, Franks examines the flaws of the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, and airs his own informed opinions on such pithy topics as welfare, the American family, and the Supreme Court.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060391561
• ISBN13: 9780060391560
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Harpercollins
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

The GOP in the 1990s - A Forgotten Voice

Gary Franks was a special Republican, not for the obvious reasons. Rather, he was one of the few members in the House that had the backbone to speak out against Newt Gingrich. Newt, at that time, was driving the GOP, and he did drive it right into the ground. Gingrich argued that the Contract with America was the reason the House changed hands after 1994. He claimed a mandate that did not exist, and Franks called him out on it. Franks argued that the GOP should not trend so far to the right. If it did, it needed to spend more time educating the public why this was the right move. Simply stated, Franks argued that you could not simply yell at the public and expect them to follow. Had Franks voice been heard within the public we might see a different GOP today. In this book, the author also lays out a strong rationale for why African-Americans should explore joining the GOP. All in all, this is a very good book from an excellent representative who did not have the impact he should have during the 1990s.