*** Possible Spoilers ***

I expected this book to be a polemic castigating perceived white racism in North America and it was but that isn't a problem. I was hoping that Mr. West might introduce some new ideas into the discourse regarding race; but instead, he reiterated the tired old tropes that one encounters from groups such as Black Lives Matter.

Simply put, he doesn't much like whites, the 1%, Capitalism, Free Enterprise, White Nationalists, conservatives, Republicans, and Donald Trump. Interestingly, he also doesn't like Hillary Clinton, liberals, most Democrats, Obama and that subset of black people who are in the middle or upper middle class. He doesn't actually use the term 'sell-outs' to describe the latter but that seems to be his opinion. He does like Bernie Sanders although he seems to think that Mr. Sanders views don't go far enough. He likes those black people who are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. Although he doesn't come out and state it, I received the opinion that he is a Marxist. He does describe himself as a radical-Democrat but that seems just a little vague.

I consider all this interesting because, according to the internet - so perhaps a questionable resource - Mr. West has a net worth of five-hundred thousand. Given his books, teaching at both Harvard and Princeton, his speaking engagements and entertainment roles, I suspect that is on the low side. He is certainly in the middle or upper middle class of black individuals whom he chastises as not providing adequate leadership - which means they are busy living their lives and have neither the time nor inclination to man the barricades.

To a large extent I expected much of the above when I got this book; so that, by itself, didn't disappoint me. What I didn't like - and why I rated the book with only one star - was that he seems to have found a way to use the English language in such a manner as to obfuscate rather than enlighten. Consider the following: "Like liberal structuralists, the advocates for a politics of conversion never lose sight of the structural conditions that shape the lives and sufferings of people. Yes, unlike liberal structuralism, the politics of conversion meets the nihilistic threat head on." I'm convinced there has to be a better way for him to make his point, although frankly I'm not certain just what point his is making. If this book was intended for an audience of his peers - academics within university humanities departments - I think it would be fine; however, he seems to want to address a broad audience and, frankly, this is not the way to accomplish that objective.

Those on the radical left of the political spectrum might enjoy this book although I doubt it contains much that these individuals don't already know. Beyond that, I can't think of anyone who might find it either entertaining or enlightening.

I love hearing Brother Cornel West speak. I've long been attracted to his unique perspective, style, and eloquence. He's a very likable and dynamic scholar. And that's why I've long been eager to read some of his works.

I thought all of these wonderful qualities would translate well to text, but they really don't. West's brilliance is here, but the POW! is missing. Partly, this is because this slim volume isn't given the space that is needed. Each essay is more of a snippet of a much bigger thought. Part is the age, most of the essays are from the early 1990s, and topics such as Clarence Thomas seem antiquated. Still, Race Matters is an important and very scholarly collection, but not one that left this reader in awe.

This is the first Cornel West book I have read, and, in fact, it is the first piece I have read fully on the issue of race. As a white person, spending my formative years in an overwhemingly small white town, I was not exposed much to race issues. There was some mention of slavery, but it was something that was well in the past, America having progressed since the Civil Rights movement. In high school American history courses were largely focused on American foreign affairs--especially American wars. I hadn't heard much at all about black history. College changed this quite a bit. I had no idea about the origins of the NAACP or the many difficulties faced by black people after the Civil War.

I came to this book with many hopes, especially after hearing Cornel West speak in person. The book, though mainly a criticism of black leadership and contemporary prospects for black communities (I thought it would be more concrete in its outlook and more philosophical in its implications), it did not disappoint. West talks about issues of contemporary racism by looking past 'racial reasoning' with 'moral reasoning.' He also thinks that a contemporary prophetic black leader must be multicultural and international in his or her desire, not just localized and pastoring a specific race. His analysis of contemporary thought on the problems that black Americans face was especially helpful for me, as he charts out a third way to understand these issues apart from conservative behaviorism and liberal structuralism. [2013]

Interesting nuanced views. I was especially interested in his specific ideas about capitalist consumerism and mass media pushing particular values, especially increased sexuality and violence. I was also interested in his discussion of redistribution of wealth that predominantly affects the middle class and not the poor and his short essay on Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill which stood the test of time pretty well.

West's essay about black and white sexuality reminded me a lot of some essay I read in college about sexuality as rebellion in Cuba's oppressive regime. And feminism also talks a lot about the patriarchy's restriction of sexuality. It doesn't strike me as intuitive, and I struggle to understand why sexual control leads to political control? But it seems universal and pervasive in oppressive regimes all over the world.

Cornel West's writing is always elegant in a way that I find lively and engaging, which makes this book less doleful than the title might imply. Public intellectuals like West sorta write as nondoctrinaire philosophers who enhance the reader's understanding via critique and discussion, instead of synthesizing solutions (though you could probably formulate a few of your own after reading).

This was written in '93 and is West's first non-academic book. I gotta say, it's nice to read a cultural critic in the nineties not saying anything dated, i.e. no embarassing shit about queer people. On the other hand, everything in here is, depressingly, evergreen.

A sharp and eloquent book, marred by a few loose arguments here and there. West is dead-on about many things, patiently and carefully laying out volatile issues and explaining approaches to improve them. Since this is a collection of essays, basically, some will obviously interest you more than others, but they're all worth reading and mulling over. The only weak points come at some moments in his reasoning, at which he substitutes a pat conclusion or an unsourced claim for a more carefully planned argument (most egregious when he calls out black conservatives for making conclusions without providing sources and context, then later in the same chapter makes a number of contentious general statements about black conservatives... without sources or context). Still: the book is well-written, carefully argued (for the most part), and thoughtfully empathetic.

West understands race matters and is able to articulate this understanding in ways that are simultaneously easily accessible yet deeply intellectual. He is probably the most fair and consistent person I've ever witnessed in his criticisms. He isn't shy of critiquing both sides of the political spectrum, only ever identifying with what he believes is the truth, and offers his own glimpses into the path he sees forward. West is truly prophetic, and this book was especially interesting to read given the current racial political unrest and the fact that so much of this book still applies today although it's almost 30 years old now. The way West sees it, "the degree to which race matters is a crucial measure of whether we can keep alive the best of this democratic experiment we call America."

Highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to better understand American racial issues.

Cornel West touches on all things concerning the black community. From the lack of strong leadership since the civil rights movement to misogyny and sexuality to relations with jews to homosexuality he applies his philosophy that america's increasing emphasis on capitalism has contributed to a sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the black community. His comments are even-handed and all-encompassing as he discusses the state of america with respect to blacks in the wake of the LA riots following the Rodney King trail in 1992. His base argument that economic forces are the largest underlying factor to blame for the ever deepening sense of nihilism among poorer blacks is different and well articulated, even if it is a bit dense at times. The book challenges our thought process and holds us all accountable for our collective future. The book sometimes has bit too much of an apocholyptic tone for some but his opinions are extremely well articulated and fair.

Rating this five stars as a combination of the book and the discussion group I was apart of while reading. The discussions we had around this book were some of the most authentic and revealing conversations that I’ve been able to have on this topic.

Even so many years later, West taps into issues that are still at the core racial discrimination today. Some of the examples were dated but it was interesting to compare them to more recent events. The discussion over Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill was especially interesting to compare and contrast with more recent Supreme Court appointee scandals. I found the past perspective to be enlightening as old books can reveal what contemporary books cannot recognize (as C.S. Lewis liked to point out).

Intersectionality was heavily discussed and important to this book and West addressed how racism against Black Americans relates and differs from racism against Asian Americans and Latino Americans as well as antisemitism.

I learned a lot from this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who trying to be more informed about the conversations about Race in America that have taken place over the past year.

I heard Dr. West speak at a Bernie Sanders rally in Birmingham, AL, in 2016. I've also watched him a lot on TV and YouTube. His passion and message of love warms my heart, and I enjoy hearing him speak, so I was delighted to find out the book was read by the author. I listened to the 25th anniversary edition, which had a section talking about how this book relates to current events. The subjects in this book are as relevant today as they were when it was released. Perhaps more people are talking about what's in this book now than they were back then. I don't know; I was in high school then and probably wouldn't have been reading a book like this, although I was somewhat interested in civil-rights history. A cool thing about this book is that he references two (5-star by me) books he taught classes on, Plato's Republic and The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois. I got more out of it because I was familiar with them, and some of the other public figures he referenced. He loves to list off names of people who inspire him. Still, I'd rather just pull up a YouTube video of one of his speeches or interviews and play that in the car than listen to this audio book in the car. After I finished it, I started over at the beginning and listened for about an hour to see if I could get more out of it the second time around. I couldn't.

There was a time when I thought that while I agreed with him in principle, Cornel West was too strident for my taste, too argumentative and angry. What I have come to realize over the past few years is that West's outrage was and is the correct response to the systemic racism all around us and I needed to catch up to his understanding before I could appreciate what he had to say.

Race Matters is West's classic and deservedly so. Since it was written originally in 1993 some of the references are dated, but it is sadly still entirely relevant in its analysis of the scourge of racism in the United States. It is frightening to realize that, if anything, we have regressed in the intervening 28 years, that white supremacy has come back out of the closet and, while it was never absent, has been emboldened anew. In a new introduction for the most recent edition, West speaks of the "undeniable collapse of integrity, honesty, and decency in our public and private" lives and calls out the need for a "prophetic fightback—a moral and spiritual awakening that puts a premium on courageous truth telling and exemplary action by individuals and communities." It is impossible to overstate the existential threat we face in America; we are at a pivotal moment in our history and I honestly believe things could go either way. That the racists tend to be more well-armed than the rest of us does not give me confidence in the outcome.

What does give me hope is that so many people's eyes have been opened to the truth. The Trump presidency and the escalation of white supremacist terror have torn the blinders off and reminded us that this is a nation founded on principles of inequality, genocide, exclusion, slavery, and torture. The fact that the White House itself was built primarily by slaves encapsulates what we need to understand about our history. The legacy of this racial animus has never been absent from the assumptions underlying our society. But more people than ever are aware of this and actively working against this way of thinking and the bigoted policies and practices that grow from it. As West writes, "Being a hope is being in motion, on the move with body on the line, mind set on freedom, soul full of courage, and heart shot through with love."

The structure of this book is in the form of eight separate essays. Being nearly 30 years old, some are more relevant to our current times than others. Not being Black, I cannot say with authority, for instance, that nihilism in Black America is considerably less an issue since the advent of Black Lives Matter, but it certainly seems that way to me. On the other hand, his analysis in the essay, The Pitfalls of Racial Reasoning has as much applicability as the day it was written. I also think that the canard that we have reached a colorblind society and that the days of affirmative action being needed are over are believed by fewer and fewer of the leaders in Black America.

What shines through all of these essays, no matter their current relevance, is West's absolute passion for justice. It is clear he would like nothing better than for us all to embrace in love. But he knows that there is much work to be done, that we must confront the racism within each of us and in the world around us, that we must demand of our society and our governments that they recognize the role they have played in the oppression of people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people and others who have been and continue to be the target of those in power. Until we achieve true reconciliation and reparations, we can never as a nation be whole. We have a long way to go.

'Yet the fundamental litmus test for American democracy - its economy, government, criminal justice system, education, mass media, and culture - remains: how broad and intense are the arbitrary powers used and deployed against black people. In this sense, the problem of the twenty-first century remains the problem of the color line' (p. vii, 2001 Preface).

'The painful truth is that there is no Donald Trump without Barack Obama, no neofascist stirrings without neoliberal policies - all within the imperial zone. Obama was the brilliant Black smiling face of the American Empire. Trump is the know-nothing white cruel face of the American Empire. Obama did not produce Trump, but his Wall Street-friendly policies helped facilitate Trump's pseudo-populist victory. Obama's reluctance to confront race matters in a serious and substantive manner did not cause the ugly white backlash, but Obama's hesitancy did not help the opposition to white-supremacist practices. And, more pointedly, both Obama and Trump - two different faces of the imperial meltdown - supported military buildups, wars against Muslim countries, drone strikes, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and people, illegal imprisonments of innocent people, night raids on poor Muslim families, and inhumane detention camps. These war policies and war crimes have come back to devour what is left of America's democratic soul' (p. xix, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Introduction).

'The distinctive benchmark of Black music is soulful kenosis - the courageous and compassionate styles of genuine self-emptying that give all one is and has to empower, enable, and ennoble others. In this metaphoric way, the greatest Black musicians and Black freedom fighters are *the truth*, in that they embody and enact a radical love (especially for an unloved people) by freely giving all they are and have to inspire and encourage others. The condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak, and the condition of being the truth is to transform your suffering with great creativity and compassion into forms and deeds that empower others to likewise in their own ways' (pp. xx-xxi, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Introduction).

'Nearly a century [after Du Bois' *The Souls of Black Folk*], we confine discussions about race in America to the 'problems' black people pose for whites rather than consider what this way of viewing black people reveals about us as a nation. This paralyzing framework encourages liberals to relieve their guilty consciences by supporting public funds directed at 'the problems'; but at the same time, reluctant to exercise principled criticism of black people, liberals deny them the freedom to err. Similarly, conservatives blame the 'problems' on black people themselves - and thereby render black social misery invisible or unworthy of public attention. Hence, for liberals, black people are to be 'included' and 'integrated' into 'our' society and culture, while for conservatives they are to be 'well behaved' and 'worthy of acceptance' by 'our' way of life. Both fail to see that the presence and predicaments of black people are neither additions to nor defections from American life, but rather *constitutive elements of that life*' (p. 3).

'Instead of cathartic appeals to black authenticity, a prophetic viewpoint bases mature black self-love and self-respect on the moral quality of black responses to undeniable racist degradation in the American past and present. These responses assume neither a black essence that all black people share nor one black perspective to which all black people should adhere. Rather, a prophetic framework encourages *moral* assessment of the variety of perspectives held by black people and selects those views based on black dignity and decency that eschew putting any group of people or culture on a pedestal or in the gutter. Instead, blackness is understood to be either the perennial possibility of white supremacist abuse or the distinct styles and dominant modes of expression found in black cultures and communities. These styles and modes are diverse - yet they do stand apart from those of other groups ... And all such styles and modes stand in need of ethical evaluation. Mature black identity results from an acknowledgement of the specific black responses to white supremacist abuses and a moral assessment of these responses such that the humanity of black people does not rest on deifying or demonizing others' (p. 28).

'You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress' - Malcolm X (1964), quoted p. 35.

'Malcolm X's notion of psychic conversion is an implicit critique of W. E. B. Du Bios' idea of 'double-consciousness.' ... For Malcolm X this 'double-consciousness' pertains more to those black people who live 'betwixt and between' the black and white worlds - traversing the borders between them yet never settled in either. Hence, they crave peer acceptance in both, receive genuine approval from neither, yet persist in viewing themselves through the lenses of the dominant white society. For Malcolm X, this 'double-consciousness' is less a description of a necessary black mode of being in America than a particular kind of colonized mind-set of a special group in black America. Du Bois's 'double-consciousness' seems to lock black people into the quest for white approval and disappointment owing mainly to white racist assessment, whereas Malcolm X suggests that this tragic syndrome can be broken through psychic conversion. But how? Malcolm X does not put forward a direct answer to this question' (p. 97).

'Malcolm X's notion of psychic conversion depends on the idea that black spaces, in which black community, humanity, love, care, concern, and support flourish, will emerge from a boiling black rage. At this point, however, Malcolm X's project falters. How can the boiling black rage be contained and channeled in the black spaces such that destructive and self-destructive consequences are abated? The greatness of Malcolm X is, in part, that he raises this fundamental challenge with a sharpness and urgency never before posed in black America, yet he never had the chance in his short life to grapple with it, nor solve it in idea and deed' (p. 99).

'Malcolm X also seems to have had almost no intellectual interest in dealing with what is distinctive about black religion and black music: *their cultural hybrid character in which the complex mixture of African, European, and Amerindian elements are constitutive of something that is new and black in the modern world*' (p. 101).