Official Review: Black America: A Broken Social Contract

[LinaMueller]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Black America: A Broken Social Contract" by Jeffery Jones.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Black America: A Broken Social Contract by Jeffery Jones is a social science book. It discusses the issue of race in contemporary America. The author uses a historical approach viewed from a sociological perspective. Jones' goal, as he makes clear in the introduction, is to facilitate a dialogue between different races in the United States. According to him, the wealthier classes use the fears of the lower social strata to stay in power. The different races in the United States are fighting when, in fact, they should unite against a privileged elite that harms everyone.

As an African American, the author painstakingly describes the history of racial prejudice in the United States. Black America: A Broken Social Contract shows what happened before to explain how the past affects current race relations. Various subjects are discussed in this book: the Willie Lynch Letters, the history of the Ku Klux Klan, examples of the Jim Crow laws in the South, and so forth.

What I liked most about the book was the fact that the author seems to be someone very knowledgeable. He mentions several renowned social scientists like Max Weber, Thomas Hobbes, and Karl Marx in addition to notorious civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Robert Spike.

I had no clue that the FBI had played an important role in attacking the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. The FBI created COINTELPRO to infiltrate, illegally spy, discredit, disrupt and fabricate evidence of crimes that had not been committed. Understanding how it all happened was incredible. Not being an American, I had no idea of the "dark side" of Edgar Hoover's life.

One of the negative aspects of the book was the mention of an alleged speech by William Lynch. This document is probably fake, but many slaveholders likely had a similar mindset. The alleged author, William Lynch, speaks of the reproduction of blacks and compares it with the breeding of animals. He uses N-Word many times in the text and it is a disgusting document. I wholeheartedly believe that Jeffery Jones should not mention this text in the book. An authentic material would be much better and would achieve the same goal. There is no need to use a fake and disgusting document like this one to prove your point.

On the whole, Black America: A Broken Social Contract deserves four out of four stars. It's captivating, inspirational, and thought-provoking. The book's only flaw, in my view, is not a strong enough reason to make me take one star away. I found only three grammatical errors, and that's the main reason why nobody can say that this book is not professionally edited. There are some racial slurs and offensive language. Overall, I would recommend Black America: A Broken Social Contract to anybody who loves social science books and want to understand race relations in America.

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Black America: A Broken Social Contract
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Miraphery]

Race issues are usually controversial and I don't like to get involved. It seems like a good book but I'll pass. Nice review.

[venoix]

I think it's very important to experience the perspectives of different cultures through different mediums such as writing, and theatre in particular. I feel like the more you read about, and learn of the plights and tribulations of minorities, the more empathetic a person you become. Your review makes the book sound like an interesting endeavor into the eyes of a person of African American descent and their views on how the world has and is treating them today. Great review.

[incendiotorus]

Thanks for the great review! I think it's really important for every person to read, incorporate, and discuss books that focus and highlight different cultures and histories. Talking about race and ethnicity shouldn't have to be considered controversial or sensitive. It's an everyday lived experience for everyone and doesn't need to be a hush-hush topic. The more we shy away from or silence it, the less progress can be made.

[NASRUNA]

I can honestly say I'm enthralled by the review of this book you have written. Added to my 'want to read' shelf; it's high time I start digging deep into my ancestry and this is definitely one of the components of doing that.

[fadjei]

I love reading books related to the social sciences. I think it's very important that we continue to have dialogue about race in America. This is something that cannot be ignored as it continues to affect so many in their day to day lives.
Thanks for the review!

[funninessishappiness]

When I was in college I took American Culture. During the 1960's section, all we talked about was the Black Panthers and the horrible things that the FBI did not only to them but to MLK and many others. I can't wait to read this book. I enjoyed that class and this man sounds like he knows what he is talking about. Thank you for the review.

[Prisallen]

I would love it if this book helped people understand that they need to work together, no matter what the color or the ethnicity, for the common good. I have heard of some of the things that you mentioned, although I'm sure I would learn a lot more from the book. Thanks for your informative and interesting review!

[Shawn 45]

Hi, Im African American.I believe all minorities should know what has transpired before them to know that there not much difference today. Thanks for good reviews.

[bookreviewmi1111]

I do think race problems are needed to be cared about, especially for the ones who live in the countries that have serious problems with it. But I think this is not what I will enjoy reading.
Thank you for the review!

[Ivona R]

Coming from a pretty homogenous white background, I have never personally witnessed racial prejudice. Books like these are what I rely on to understand the issues of other societies. The author seems to be using sociological terminology, making this book even more interesting having it presented to the audience more scholarly. It's great to learn something new and see how all social sciences are related to each other. Thank you for this nice review.

[Zoe Luh]

Thanks for the great review! I think it's really important for every person to read, incorporate, and discuss books that focus and highlight different cultures and histories. Talking about race and ethnicity shouldn't have to be considered controversial or sensitive. It's an everyday lived experience for everyone and doesn't need to be a hush-hush topic. The more we shy away from or silence it, the less progress can be made.

I agree! People's lived experience shouldn't be considered too political or controversial to discuss when it's just a fact of everyday life. Love that you addressed this and I love this review! These topics should definitely be discussed more by everyone

[Dollybomi]

I may not have a clue to what happened and might still be happening to the African Americans, but I know one thing and that is the fact that your review has blown my mind and I'm interested in reading this piece.

[Caribqueen16]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Black America: A Broken Social Contract" by Jeffery Jones.]

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4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Black America: A Broken Social Contract by Jeffery Jones is a social science book. It discusses the issue of race in contemporary America. The author uses a historical approach viewed from a sociological perspective. Jones' goal, as he makes clear in the introduction, is to facilitate a dialogue between different races in the United States. According to him, the wealthier classes use the fears of the lower social strata to stay in power. The different races in the United States are fighting when, in fact, they should unite against a privileged elite that harms everyone.

As an African American, the author painstakingly describes the history of racial prejudice in the United States. Black America: A Broken Social Contract shows what happened before to explain how the past affects current race relations. Various subjects are discussed in this book: the Willie Lynch Letters, the history of the Ku Klux Klan, examples of the Jim Crow laws in the South, and so forth.

What I liked most about the book was the fact that the author seems to be someone very knowledgeable. He mentions several renowned social scientists like Max Weber, Thomas Hobbes, and Karl Marx in addition to notorious civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Robert Spike.

I had no clue that the FBI had played an important role in attacking the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. The FBI created COINTELPRO to infiltrate, illegally spy, discredit, disrupt and fabricate evidence of crimes that had not been committed. Understanding how it all happened was incredible. Not being an American, I had no idea of the "dark side" of Edgar Hoover's life.

One of the negative aspects of the book was the mention of an alleged speech by William Lynch. This document is probably fake, but many slaveholders likely had a similar mindset. The alleged author, William Lynch, speaks of the reproduction of blacks and compares it with the breeding of animals. He uses N-Word many times in the text and it is a disgusting document. I wholeheartedly believe that Jeffery Jones should not mention this text in the book. An authentic material would be much better and would achieve the same goal. There is no need to use a fake and disgusting document like this one to prove your point.

On the whole, Black America: A Broken Social Contract deserves four out of four stars. It's captivating, inspirational, and thought-provoking. The book's only flaw, in my view, is not a strong enough reason to make me take one star away. I found only three grammatical errors, and that's the main reason why nobody can say that this book is not professionally edited. There are some racial slurs and offensive language. Overall, I would recommend Black America: A Broken Social Contract to anybody who loves social science books and want to understand race relations in America.

******
Black America: A Broken Social Contract
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

History can make you sad and reflective. It can open your eyes to the atrocities of the past. Black America: A Broken Social Contract is supposed to raise awareness of what took place and to spur us on to better ourselves. It is a broken contract because there was no unity among the races and the perceived lesser race was treated with the utmost disrespect. This was a good review and I am happy that you enjoyed your reading.