Gospel Choirs: Psalms of Survival in an Alien Land Called Home

Product Description

Through parables and essays, Derrick Bell offers an eloquent work of social commentary on the permanence of racism.�Gospel,� says Derrick Bell, �and particularly the gospel choir at its best, echoes the tempos of the soul searching for God�s peace in the midst of a hostile world.�Just like the songs of a gospel choir, the pieces in this book give voice to the hardships faced by African Americans. Through allegorical stories and fictional encounters, dreams, and dialogues, it presents fresh perspectives on the different issues that concern Blacks, such as the message of The Bell Curve, the Contract with America, the media�s handling of Black men, and corporate greed�s responsibility for today�s rising �White rage� and subsequent �Black blame.� Despite their tough subjects, however, these stories resound with laughter and compassion and a continuing theme of Christian love. Ultimately, like the gospel songs, they offer African Americans hope and direction as they travel the racist world they inhabit.

Online Review

Gospel Choirs is the third in a series of parables and essays by Derrick Bell that shed light on one of the most perplexing issues of our day--racism. Bell, a law school professor and activist, mixes dreams and dialogues through his own voice and that of the fictional Geneva Crenshaw, a civil rights lawyer of the 1960s. And it's not just racism that Bell ponders. Some of the writings question African-Americans' views on sexuality and sexism. But the issue of race in America is Bell's specialty and one he addresses sharply here with discussions of corporate policies, the fears of whites, and the need for black unity.