Acting White?: Rethinking Race in Post-Racial America

Despite its focus on law and relative density for its slim page count, this complex study raises some insightful and provocative points, not just about race in America, but about the entire "Working Identity" people construct to get by in the world. Carbado and Gulati, professors of law at UCLA and Duke, respectively, use a variety of established cases and hypothetical situations to show how race inherently impacts social and professional standing and interaction. Using president Obama as one example, they explore how black professionals are caught in the double bind of looking black while adopting a measure of whiteness. Addressing gender issues, racial politics, institutional diversity, and interactions with the police, the authors examine the conflicts and contradictions that arise for minorities and women trying to fit into a white male-dominated environment. The book ranges from lively to academically dry as it moves from real situations to textbook studies and imaginary conversations, but the insight it provides into social and professional cues%E2%80%94both unspoken and overt%E2%80%94may be eye-opening for many readers. The authors aimed to put "Working Identity squarely on the table" and in that, they succeed in a fairly accessible manner. Agent: Jacqueline Hackett, Literary Works. (Feb.)