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The Many Costs of Racism, by Joe R. Feagin and Karyn D. McKinney. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2003. 250 pp. $24.95 cloth. ISBN: 0-7425-1117-0.
The Many Costs of Racism is a serious, poignant, and incisive antidote to contemporary American attitudes toward race and an undeniable testimony of the continuing practices of racial discrimination in the United States. It serves as an indispensable analysis that begins the work of fully articulating the pain of racism from the point of view of those on the receiving end. By illuminating the systemic and institutionalized patterns of racist attitudes and behaviors, The Many Costs of Racism reminds us of the racist foundations of current ideological trends such as "color blindness," "blaming the victim," and the recently hailed "end of racism," as well as the personal and communal consequences of these notions. In this hard-hitting, much needed, and clearly written book, Feagin and McKinney's work focuses on one well-documented fact: Racism costs the United States deeply, enormously, and systemically.
Their arguments are bolstered by an abundance of evidence from the experiences of black middle class professional men and women. The authors embed their analysis in a strong and well-utilized body of theoretical and empirical literature. To study the costs of racism, Feagin and McKinney use focus-group methodologies with 37 Midwestern and Southeastern economically successful,...