Bad News For Race Hustlers

Larry Elder believes in the American people’s power to overcome almost any circumstance -- if only government would stop telling them that they can’t. In this collection of columns, Elder takes on a range of controversial issues -- from the minimum wage to Confederate monuments, from Obamacare to national anthem protests -- with his signature wit and uncommon good sense.

In the rush to redefine the place of black Americans in contemporary society, many radical activists and academics have mounted a campaign to destroy traditional American history and replace it with a politicized version that few would recognize. According to the new radical orthodoxy, the United States was founded as a racist nation—and everything that has happened throughout our history must be viewed through the lens of the systemic oppression of black people. Rejecting this false narrative, a collection of the most prominent and respected black scholars and thinkers has come together to correct the record and tell the true story of black Americans in all its complexity, diversity of experience, and poignancy. Collectively, they paint a vivid picture of black people living the grand American experience, however bumpy the road may be along the way. But rather than a people apart, blacks are woven into the united whole that makes this nation unique in history. Featuring Essays by: John Sibley Butler Jason D. Hill Coleman Cruz Hughes John McWhorter Clarence Page Wilfred Reilly Shelby Steele Carol M. Swain Dean Nelson Charles Love Rev. Corey Brook Stephen L. Harris Harold A. Black Stephanie Deutsch Yaya J. Fanusie Ian Rowe John Wood, Jr. Joshua Mitchell Robert Cherry Rev. DeForest Black Soaries, Jr.

When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn told us, decades ago, that one word of truth outweighs the whole world, he was quoting from a Russian proverb. According to the proverb (and to Solzhenitsyn), that would mean that truth is extremely weighty and important. The Bible seems to agree, because the Bible stresses over and over the loveliness of truth—and the ugliness of falsehood. One Word of Truth Outweighs the Whole World, by Carl Wells, examines what it will mean for us, in practical terms, if we begin to have a high respect for truth. Caring about the truth may be easier said than done!

The body of teenager Antwan Driggers is found handcuffed to a fence in a swampy area south of Mobile, Alabama. His throat has been slit. The cuffs preventing Antwan’s escape belong to veteran detective Russ Hampton, who is found just yards away unconscious and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. When he awakens 36 hours later in a hospital bed, Hampton is rebuked by his ex-wife, informed of his prisoner’s gruesome fate, and set upon by colleagues from homicide and internal affairs who demand explanations and answers that Hampton doesn’t have. A former clergyman, Hampton believes all that’s required of him is to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly…” But as a cop in trouble, this appears increasingly insufficient. Meantime, news media trumpet “Black Youth Slain in Police Custody.” Roiling speeches are delivered to restive crowds by itinerant justice warriors. Property is damaged, people are injured. The Department publicly puts Hampton on medical leave, but he’s informed that it’s administrative leave as well. Prioritizing damage control, PD command staff view Hampton as a liability. Unreported is the little-known fact that Hampton and Driggers were friends. Hampton knows the family; he’d promised Antwan’s mother he’d do all could to keep her son out of trouble. Vowing to find Antwan’s killer—with or without the department’s cooperation—Detective Russell Hampton embarks on a rogue investigation which triggers a rolling gunfight and two abductions, introduces him to political intrigue and an exotic dancer named Felanie, and leads him on an international manhunt. Praise for Bad Day on the Bayou: “Johnson knows the turf and it shows. Bad Day on the Bayou is a rich, evocative Southern cop novel that manages to be both bruising and thoughtful with characters who are just the right kind of flawed.” —Sgt. Adam Plantinga, San Francisco Police Department, and author of 400 Things Cops Know, Police Craft, and the forthcoming novel Nothing Like Easy “Reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh’s police novels, Johnson’s Bad Day on the Bayou catches the essence of a complex murder investigation amid the conflicting political agendas of community leaders and local government. It will keep you turning the pages!” —Doug Lamplugh, 30-year law enforcement officer (local, state, and federal) and author of Murder at Mardi Gras “Mark Johnson’s Bad Day on the Bayou is the gripping tale of former clergyman turned cop Russ Hampton who, while in the line-of-duty, finds himself in a heap of trouble after a suspect in his custody is mysteriously murdered. Johnson is a master story-teller and as an ex-cop he knows the ins and outs of police work and uses his former life to give the reader special insight into what makes cops tick. Skillfully weaving in today’s news in a red-hot climate of mistrust and anger, Johnson has created a memorable character, in the tradition of Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly.” —Charles Salzberg, two-time Shamus Award nominee for Swann’s Last Song and Second Story Man “Bad Day on the Bayou is one of those wonderful reads that can only come from a writer who has experienced the life. It is a book loaded with suspense, authenticity, and wonderful character development. Highly recommended.” —David Swinson, author of A Detailed Man and The Second Girl

Genie and Cassie gear up in this homage to the fast paced dime store novelettes of yesterday. The two girls, as they are want to be called, make their way from a Chicagoan breakout to some dangerous snow machine racing and finally to New York City. The'll have to be smart and fast on the clutch to prove themselves in the mad world of hot rodding...it's even tougher for these feminine fugitives. They'll have to deal with their own hang ups, avoid the authorities, keep their rod on the road, and pull off a big heist to get back the mysterious dosh from the eccentric Campy Carol. It they can, they should be set for life. Some come join our leading ladies, sorry, girls, as they take on the Death Race against the Patriarchy.

-Behind from the Start examines what's behind the stubbornly high rate of poverty among young children in the U.S and its consequences. It explains the multiple ways in which early-life poverty robs millions of children of a promising future, and calls for dramatic changes in how we approach this problem---

The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.