First published 2018
Michael Eric Dyson examines the collision between moral witness and political pragmatism in America's ongoing struggle with race. The book centers on a pivotal 1963 meeting where Attorney General Robert Kennedy sought out James Baldwin to understand the fury building in black communities. Baldwin arrived with allies including playwright Lorraine Hansberry and activist Jerome Smith, whose uncompromising anger left Kennedy stunned and silent. Dyson traces how this three-hour encounter transformed Kennedy's thinking and shaped his subsequent policy changes. The author connects this historical moment to contemporary conflicts, from Hillary Clinton's 2015 confrontation with Black Lives Matter to persistent debates about patriotism, gratitude, and authentic black leadership. Dyson argues that every major argument about race today echoes the tensions in that room between Kennedy and Baldwin's circle. The book explores whether political solutions or moral redemption can heal America's racial wounds, examining the ongoing conflict between conscience and power that continues to define racial progress in America.
Genres: history, race, american, african-american, political-science, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, moral-witness-vs-political-pragmatism
Setting: America
Period: 1963
304 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press