The Affirmative Action Debate

Book Overview

The Affirmative Action Debate collects the leading voices on all sides of this crucial dialogue. A provocative range of politicians, researchers, legal experts, and businesspeople dispute the best way... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 020147963X
• ISBN13: 9780201479638
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

The most balanced treatment of a most misunderstood issue.

This book is arguably the most balanced treatment of one of the most poorly understood issues in contemporary American public policy. I read it when it first came out in 1996, and I feel that I a much better informed citizen on affirmative action as a result. This books is a collection of essays that present all sides of the debate on affirmative action from well-known scholars, businessmen, political and civic leaders. It dispels many of the misconceptions of the policy while highlighting its inherent flaws, explains the goals of the policy in its intended form, and includes two all but forgotten perspectives - that of women and Asian-Americans.A very good and easy read, anyone with a desire to have as broad an understanding as possible on affirmative should buy and read this book.

Really want to understand the issue? Read this book

This publication does an excellent job of addressing this most sensitive and complex issue from all sides (liberal, conservative, ignorant), clarifying its legal, political and social significance. It should be manadatory reading, especially for all journalists in this country, whose botched -- essentially useless -- coverage shows how unfamiliar many really are with affirmative-action realities. "Debate" addresses court decisions, executive orders and legislation involving employment, education and government contracting. And thankfully it's well-organized enough so that readers truly open to understanding the issue are easily able to discern the incendiary rhetoric and willfully blind misinformation of the William Bradford Reynolds and Linda Chavezes from the thoughtful and rational analyses of Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Mary Frances Berry and pollster Lou Harris. It sheds light on nonrace-based forms of affirmative action that opponents don't like to talk about -- like so-called "legacies" in education (relatives of alumni). It discusses who actually benefits most from affirmative action -- white women. Whether you support or oppose these programs, if you honestly want to understand the issue, read this book.

Excellent and balanced collection of essays.

This book contains an excellent collection of essays by some of the greatest minds of this generation, including Cornel West, Manning Marable, and many others. I would recommend this book solely for the purpose of reading a copy of Lydon B. Johnson's commencement address at Howard University in 1965. Overall an excellent, and fair collection which should cause individuals on either side of this issue to reexamine their respective position on this debate.

Excellent source of a variety of views on this issue.

I purchased this book as an individual who was undecided about this issue, although with a leaning toward viewing affirmative action programs with strict scrutiny. In my opinion this book provided a well rounded and fair presentation of this issue. I found it to be an excellent source of information and arguments written by some truly great minds, co-editor Cornel West the most prominent among them. I would highly recommend this book to everyone with an open mind who wishes to gain greater insight and more information on this issue. While I am still undecided on this issue, I know I am much better informed, and better for that.

If you only read one book on affirmative action...

Fair, Honest, and Interesting. A collection of essays giving all sides an equal voice. Best book I've read on this most controversial of political topics