October 7, 2008
The Breakthrough
Politics and Race in the Age of Obama
Written by Gwen Ifill
Available January 20, 2009
In THE BREAKTHROUGH, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.
Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama, and also covers up-and-coming figures from across the nation. Drawing on interviews with power brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict and the “black enough” conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history.
THE BREAKTHROUGH is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy.
July 13, 2008
The Faith of Barack Obama
By Stephen Mansfield
Available July 2008
Discover the unapologetically Christian and liberal Barack Obama-and how he represents the changing face of religion in American politics. In “The Faith of Barack Obama” Stephen Mansfield presents an insightful portrait of the presidential candidate. Learn how his faith motivates him as a senator and leader in our nation.
You’d have to live in a cave to have avoided hearing about Barack Obama’s woes as he deals with the crises arising from the close mentor relationship he had with the senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. How, people ask, could Sen. Obama represent as president people of all races, when he attended for 20 years a church permeated by a defining, if understandable, spirit of anger toward white America? There is, however, much more to the senator’s faith than this one issue. As early as 2004, as he delivered a powerful speech to the Democratic National Convention in Boston, he was taking a stand for his faith: “We worship an awesome God in the Blue States.” In The Faith of Barack Obama, Stephen Mansfield explores Obama’s religious faith without political or ideological bias. His basic premise is this: If a man’s faith is sincere, then it is the most important thing about him. As a result, it is impossible to understand how Barack Obama will lead without first understanding the religious vision that informs his life.
“You must read this perceptive and well written book. Then you will know why Barack Obama has such a passion for justice and equity, such a gift for filling people of different generations with a newfound hope that things can and will change for the better. His inspiration comes from his faith; he is an ardent believer. Yes, he is a Christian and proud of it.”
—ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU
NOBEL LAUREATE
July 9, 2008
Palace Council
Written by Stephen L. Carter
Available July 2008
USA Today called Stephen L. Carter’s last novel “the perfect summer read . . . Carter slips in so many original, thought-provoking observations that the reader is sad the killer has been caught.” Now Carter, the best-selling author of New England White, is back with Palace Council, a gripping political thriller set in the era of Watergate and Vietnam.
Philmont Castle is a man who has it all: wealth, respect, and connections. He’s the last person you’d expect to fall prey to a murderer, but when his body is found on the grounds of a Harlem mansion, the young writer Eddie Wesley, along with the woman he loves, Aurelia Treene, are pulled into a twenty-year search for the truth. The disappearance of Eddie’s sister June makes their investigation even more troubling. As Eddie and Aurelia uncover layer upon layer of intrigue, their odyssey takes them from the wealthy drawing rooms of New York through the shady corners of radical politics all the way to the Oval Office and President Nixon himself.
Suspenseful, provocative, and witty, Palace Council turns our assumptions inside out and reminds us how the struggles of that era set the stage for America today.
July 4, 2008
All about the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America
John McWhorter – Author
Available June 2008
Hip-hop is often extolled as an urgent “political” message to mainstream America about the realities of life in black communities. But is there really any meaningful connection between hip-hop and politics? Could there actually be a hip-hop revolution?
In All About the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America, bestselling author John McWhorter argues that the vast majority of hip-hop music—despite claims to the contrary—has nothing real or significant to offer black America in terms of political activism that can make a meaningful difference.
In this measured, impassioned work, McWhorter maintains that hip-hop, while infectious and finely-crafted music, is overly inflated with a sense of social and political importance. He argues that activism and acting up aren’t the same thing, that hip-hop politics often amount to an upturned middle finger—which is different from really working on how to help people. “A hundred years from now, what will interest people about us today is how we solved our problems, not how eloquently we complained about what caused them,” writes McWhorter.
All About the Beat is not about putting hip-hop down for the violence and misogyny it extols. Instead, McWhorter calls for a new politics for black America, one not based on the false hope that a form of music—no matter how good or inspiring— can lead blacks to advancement.
June 6, 2008
Politics Noir: Dark Tales from the Corridors of Power (Paperback)
edited by Gary Phillips
From authors including National Book Award winner Pete Hautman, Deadly Ink 2007 winner Darrell James, and renowned social commentator turned short-story writer Mike Davis, a chilling and subversive collection of new crime stories with stark themes of greed, corruption and insatiable ambition in the very highest places.
With stories by:
• Ken Bruen
• Mike Davis
• Robert Greer
• Pete Hautman
• Darrell James
• Jake Lamar
• Michele Matinez
• Twist Phelan
• John Shannon
• Ken Wishnia
• and others
