Colored White: Transcending the Racial Past. (Book Reviews).

by David R. Roediger

In contrast, Colored White: Transcending the Racial Past is a dense collection of essays that strives to translate the coded language of white privilege, explaining the subtle processes by which racial hierarchies become entrenched. This book argues that there are a number of ways in which white bonding is communicated and elevated, challenging the notion that people of color are obsessed with race while whites strive for a "colorblind" society. Although some of Roediger's academic cultural critique may be difficult reading, much of it is useful and welcome. There are two informative essays on the most insidiously iconic symbols of the new right, Rudolph Giuliani and Rush Limbaugh, but the highlight was the essay "Mumia Time or Sweeney Time?" This essay examines the widespread union support, domestically and internationally, for imprisoned journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. It points to what the movement for Mumia's freedom was at its best--a uniquely diverse display of solidarity. The exploration of multiracial cul tural and political interchange in the second half of the book ultimately offers a more useful analysis and constructive tone than anything offered in How Race is Lived in America. If only it were a bit more readable.