Of immense value for our current times - Sowell writes eloquently against the dangers of demagoguery, well-meaning but misguided attempts to ‘help,’ of trying to fix any one group’s issues from the outside while ignoring their internal problems, of blaming people in the present for the sins of past people who happened to look like them - this is something I wish everyone who either hates blacks and assumes all of their problems are caused by them, or people who are trying hard not to be racist and so assume all black problems are caused by others, would read. He makes a very good point about the calls for role models who resemble segments of the population being completely false - over and over throughout history we see precisely the opposite - nations and peoples learning from those very different from themselves ethnically or culturally, a recent example being China, and before them Japan, England, Germany, even the United States. I find such calls to be implicitly racist, sexist, and bigoted.

If you’re looking to have your unexamined assumptions challenged, read this. If you’re looking to find reasons to justify further division, hatred, victimization, special privileges for anyone, or much more, look elsewhere.

8/21/2020 * 4.5 Stars

The short review of this would be something along the lines of 'excellent collection of thought provoking essays by Stanford Fellow and well known economist, Thomas Sowell'. For those who are more right leaning and wish to reject a narrative of victimhood attached race, this book appears to be a god send. I can well see why some people have jumped on board unreservedly- nor are they entirely wrong to do so because part of shaping your reality and experience of life, is deciding as far as possible, what it will be. On the other hand, I can understand why more left leaning individuals have found this not to their taste, and they are not entirely wrong either.

My personal opinion is that this book should definitely be read as part of a balanced non fiction diet for anyone wishing to educate themselves about race relations. I don't think that Sowell ever obscures issues of racism but in these essays, racism experienced by black poc is not front and centre. Instead it is explored as part of the body of racism experienced by all people regardless of skin colour or ethnicity and perpetrated by all people regardless of the same. The hot button topic of transatlantic slavery is discussed as part of a world history view. It's certainly correct that white Europeans were not making treks into sub-Saharan Africa and kidnapping innocent Africans from their tribes. Instead the 'white' Europeans were buying black slaves from coastal settlements where they were sold by various African tribes (including the Masai and Tanganikans) who had conquered and enslaved their neighbours. (Much as many Native American tribes did btw). Much as various Europeans did over the centuries. One of the biggest traders in slaves were the Arabs and it's also true that one million white Europeans were captured and enslaved on being shipped to North Africa. I mention this not to be contentious because absolutely no equivalence can ameliorate the peculiar evils of the transatlantic slave trade.

But it is important to tug on the loose threads in homespun narratives and see if they unravel. And if they do, why were you being given an edited version of history? In all issues, especially those most contentious and liable to promote a highly emotive response, we must ask 'cui bono?' Who benefits from you being angry or emotionally compromised? What objective are they trying to achieve? This is not to suggest that perfectly justified anger should be suppressed, more that we all have a responsibility to channel it in a way that is useful. Personal rage and desire for retribution is a luxury we cannot afford if our goal is an equal society where everyone is lifted up and given equality of opportunity.

I think Sowell does a reasonable job of this. I am resisting swallowing everything he says whole and as always I will do my own research and fact check (three independent sources of verification). Sowell may not be completely free of confirmation bias - something which is almost impossible in any field. And I don't always agree with his conclusions. However, he acknowledges his own bias himself and backs up his findings with sources which so far have proved to be verifiable and sound.

This was an interesting and eye opening book. I recommend it as part of a reading list which includes many points of view on the discussed topics.

Another great book written by Thomas Sowell. It is a very accessible book. It does not try to elude you with big fancy word but keeps it very simple.

This book help deconstructs a lot of common beliefs and poses great alternative insights into the issues. I remember hearing a synopsis of the book how it's thesis talks about how poor American black culture is related to the poor white southern culture which is related to poor Irish culture. While this was a great thesis, I was pleasantly surprised that the book did not solely focus on this subject. Thomas Sowell touches on the subject of Slavery, Middle Man Races, economic success between different cultures, and segregation. The review by "Don Fox" on Good Reads gives a great brief summary of some of the most interesting point Thomas Sowell brings up.

The title does not give enough justice on how many different topics Thomas Sowell address within this book. I would highly recommend this book.

Update, 2018: I used to give blahblah like this the benefit of the doubt as a “conversation starter” but given the obvious and real current dangers of BS, I’m lowering the rating to 1*. Please see comment stream for additional details.


This can be a good conversation starter, but it has flaws.

One of the main excuses Sowell brings up over and over for why whites in the South wouldn't end slavery is that they were afraid of a race war because of the rebellion on "Santo Domingo" (Haiti). What he never clarifies is that those slaves had been liberated previously by the republic founded in the French Revolution and were then re-enslaved by Napoleon a few years later. That's a rather important detail . (A captivating recent book about this is The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo). The relevant part of the story for the white Americans' fear of race war is what happened after the initial emancipation. Did the newly freed blacks kill the whites? No. So the story of Saint-Domingue is actually not a legitimate excuse for fear of race war, and could be used more accurately to make the opposite point!

The biggest disappointment is a lack of evidence-based recommendations for what will work here and now. Sowell makes a really big deal about evidence, so that is a fair expectation. He praises KIPP schools, but KIPP so far has failed in the long-term. He doesn't talk at all about the experience of the schools in Raleigh, North Carolina, which as far as I know is the one example of an entire American metropolitan area with children succeeding: see Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh . I would have liked much more about that and other programs that actually work to move from a "culture of failure" to a culture of success.

One of the main points of the book is that black people in America mainly jumped in prosperity before the Civil Rights Act, not after, and the implication of that is that government programs don't help. But there were many factors involved. In the years from 1945 to 1965, middle-class prosperity overall in America jumped a lot, much of that on the strength of government policies designed to increase middle class prosperity. Did the prosperity of black people jump less, the same, or more than that of other people during this time? That, for starters, would be very important to know for the argument.

The book goes off on a tangent about German anti-semitism. Sowell quotes Hitler as saying that if Jews didn't exist, he would have had to invent them. I can't find a source verifying where Hitler said this. It seems hard to believe. I think the actual quote is from Sartre's "Reflections on the Jewish Question" where he writes that If the Jew did not exist, the anti-semite would invent him.
This is a political opinion book, not serious history, but then it is annoying how much Sowell trumpets his own supposed thoroughness and objectivity.

For better books about why there might be differences in wealth-building in America by race.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die

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Addendum 2022: We don't really need to look at counterfactuals of what might have happened after emancipation, because we did have emancipation and so from our vantage point in history we know what happened in reality in the US after that.

I am biased towards liking anything Thomas Sowell writes because I admire his insight and intellect when it comes to careful consideration of difficult topics and the clear communication of his ideas, and his grit and courage in making unpopular arguments. But this book in particular made the 5-star rating for me because I learned so much from it. Even if you do not agree with Sowell's conclusions, the historical events he uses as evidence for his claims are themselves valuable. Sowell's discussion of the history of slavery in the world and in the U.S., the history of black education, and the history of redneck culture was new to me and has given me new facts to hold up against current discourse about reparations, systemic racism, welfare policies, and the legacy of slavery. I don't know the extent to which this book provides a comprehensive picture of such matters in the U.S., but I do think it provides a perspective missing from current discourse.

For those engaging with other literature that deals with racial disparities, discrimination, and relations, and is trying to understand solutions to these problems, this book should not be left off your list. At the end of the day, it may not change minds (and probably no one book should on important and complex topics), but it may strengthen your arguments or serve as a jumping off point for learning and reading more. At the very least this book offers a different perspective, and one that deserves to be taken seriously.

Having recently completed Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire, for me, Sowell touches on histories Gibbon wrote about and even adds to those histories after the fifteenth century.

My understanding of gang culture has also changed as a result of this book, learning that it was rooted in times much earlier than contemporary late twentieth century urban ghettos.

With the recent fall from grace by the Memphis Grizzlies' Guard, Ja Morant, he is an example of hustling backwards while being a black redneck, glorifying the thug lifestyle despite having a Supermax NBA contract and a signature shoe deal with Nike. Despite the ink being barely dry on a Powerade endorsement, his thug posturing "been on dat, still on dat, forever on dat..." and escalation in thug moves has seen his very recent indefinite suspension from the NBA.
In a public apology, which I doubt was written by him, Ja's position "on dat" (thug life) has done a complete 180° degree turn and Ja's contracts look to be in jeopardy of being torn up. Instead of his intention to create a persona of being hard, he's being ridiculed.
It's a shame really. He is one of my favourite NBA players and I was hoping that the Grizzlies would win the chip this season if my LA Clippers don't.

Sowell has a mind like a diamond. He sheds light on some of the murkiest problems in our society. He originally and convincingly challenges some *very* widely accepted ideas. His clarity of thought is remarkable, and incredibly helpful.

I can't recommend this book enough if you are at all interested in the topics it covers.

Fascinating book. A must read when thinking about the state of race relations within and outside of the U.S.

While Sowell eloquently makes valid points about the universality of slavery, discrimination, and genocide, he implies that Americans concerned with correcting our history of Slavery, Jim Crow, present day police racial profiling , and lack of due process of law by victims of police brutality are ignorant of this. He interprets present day concerns about an equal society for all with a feeling of guilt about privilege.

I learned a lot from this book about discrimination and jealousy towards middlemen in many world societies. The author never addressed the effect Jim Crow could have had on the psyche of “Southern Black Culture.” While writing about the wonders of Western civilization in terms of freedom and due process of law, he never addresses the lack of due process of law for those who were lynched or those who receive no due process of law today.

People are concerned with these issues because we want America to fulfill the vision of the founding fathers for ALL people. Then we can concentrate on all the atrocities left around the world.

Adam was telling me about this book, and about the amazing man that is Thomas Sowell. Read his bio -- he's led a very interesting life. It's interesting that many of the "undesirable" qualities of the South, e.g. working to feed the family when needed, rather than having a steady work ethic and income, may have come from original settlers from wilder areas like Ulstead County, Ireland, and Wales, and Northern Scotland, where many of my ancestors are from! (Back in the 17th-18th centuries, they were known as the rednecks and crackers.) Thanks for being such a wild, ferocious, touchy people!

On my second read (yes, it's that good) I learned so much more from one of my favorite authors. Loaded with factual references and, of course, common sense. Still highly recommended.

I found the title of Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell intriguing but a little misleading. I expected to be reading about racial and cultural history of whites and blacks in the American South; and it delivered on that but then went on into so much more. As is the case with all works by Thomas Sowell, this book was also well researched and well written. The author takes us on a journey with some surprising discoveries along the way including that what is commonly thought to be black or African culture was more or less picked up from the poor whites in the south who in turn brought it with them from Scotland and fringes of British society. If that caught your interest, you need to read this book. As he develops and analyzes racism in the American South, he goes on to show histories of racism around the world including the Turks and Armenians, Japanese and Koreans, the Spanish and the Indians, everyone and the Jews, etc. He also traces the origins of slavery back to the beginnings of mankind through today's more enlightened societies. Highly recommended for everyone with an open mind but those with an aversion to facts should probably not tackle a book as fact-based as this one.