I didn't dislike the book. However, I didn't love it. Some of the sections went on much longer than I cared for the topic. I would be interested for a chapter or two and then I'd be disappointed when the next chapter was still about the same thing. A lot of it was predictable because he would say something like "guess what happened when black people tried to get mortgages...they were denied!" I'd read something like that and sarcastically think, "Wow, I never saw that one coming."
Since the book is supposed to discuss how and why integration essentially failed in America, I think I was expecting a more generalized history and examination. I am fascinated by the topic and often wonder what would have happened if, instead of integration, black America got the appropriate resources to be self sufficient. Instead of taking a look at that, the book is divided into four sections and each section focuses on a subject (education, housing, advertising, and religion). Each section further narrows the examination by geographic area. He focuses on one neighborhood for each subject (Vestavia Hills, Kansas City, New York, and Grand Coteau respectively). I know integration is a very broad topic to tackle, and the author recognizes this in the preface of the book as well, but I think I was expecting something different than what I got. As I was reading, I felt like the book was too narrow. There were some interesting facts sprinkled along the way that kept me reading, but I can't honestly say there was an overarching point to drive home or that the book was exceptionally memorable.
I submit that the best book on race that I recently read is The Warmth of Other Suns because that book managed to touch on a lot of the same topics in a more dynamic and broad way. If you have to choose between the two, go for The Warmth of Other Suns.
