White Guilt

A look at the state of black and white race relations in twenty-first-century America, from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Content of Our Character.

“Not unlike some of Ralph Ellison’s or Richard Wright’s best work. White Guilt, a serious meditation on vital issues, deserves a wide readership.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

In 1955 the killers of Emmett Till, a black Mississippi youth, were acquitted because they were white. Forty years later, despite the strong DNA evidence against him, accused murderer O. J. Simpson went free after his attorney portrayed him as a victim of racism. The age of white supremacy has given way to an age of white guilt—and neither has been good for African Americans.

Through articulate analysis and engrossing recollections, acclaimed race relations scholar Shelby Steele sounds a powerful call for a new culture of personal responsibility.

“Breathtakingly insightful. . . . Anyone concerned with the endless standoff that is black-white relations in this country has a duty to read Shelby Steele.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Brilliant. . . . An autobiographical meditation on why a significant portion of the black population hasn’t been able to take advantage of freedoms that belatedly came to it.” —New York Sun

“Stunning. . . . A clarifying lens through which to view the lonely struggle of clear-sighted black intellectuals to rescue black from a degrading temptation.” —Newsweek

“No writer deserves black America’s allegiance more.” —John McWhorter, National Review