This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Julius Bailey, PhD, a Christian Existentialist, teaches in the Department of Philosophy at Wittenberg University. He is a philosopher, cultural critic, social theorist, and diversity lecturer. As a socially conscious academic, Dr. Bailey has been interviewed on CNN, Fox, B.E.T, and ABC Nightline. A guest on numerous radio shows as a social critic and education advisor, he is often sought to speak at colleges, prisons, and community organizations across America. Recent publications include: Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams: The Age of Obama and Beyond (Broadview Press, Dec. 28,2015); The Cultural Impact of Kanye West (ed. Palgrave-McMillan, March 2014), Philosophy and Hip-hop: Ruminations on Hip-Hop as Postmodern Cultural Form (Palgrave,-McMillan, July 2014) and Jay-Z: Essays on Hip Hop's Philosopher King (McFarland, 2011). He has also authored a host of articles on Hip-Hop Pedagogy and Social Justice issues. He holds Masters Degrees from Howard and Harvard Universities and a Doctorate from the University of Illinois. More information can be found at www.juliusbailey.com
Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite
Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams - The Age of Obama and Beyond by Julius Bailey is a gorgeously written, exceedingly intelligent, impeccably nuanced polemic against the current state of race relations in America. Dr. Bailey includes a bibliographical reference list by chapter that securely establishes his hard-won collection of incontrovertible facts and figures from which he makes his passionate but objective claims, and tentatively prescribes a better future for us all. In a deft move toward placing this highly sensitive discussion in its proper context, Dr. Bailey begins his indelible work by re-emphasizing the mandate of our Declaration of Independence and then offering the irrefutable present day conclusion: “Our current society has chosen liberty, not equality, as the paramount goal to be achieved by our political and social systems.” The ramifications of this rather subtle observation are revealed and documented at great length and in great depth and with an academic mastery that is neither dry nor boringly belabored, covering in turn the historical roots of the present, the multi-faceted aspects of racial reality – including the modern immigration controversy and the distinctly adversarial approach to poverty in our nation, as well as the hyperbolic, manipulated rise of income inequality – with an ironic nod to the shouted aphorisms of American exceptionalism touted by us in the larger world.
In Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams, Julius Bailey never steps away from the humanity of his subject. As he so eloquently states, “There is a single note at the heart of this cry: as a putatively moral nation, we are not what we would have ourselves be.” As he is obligated to mention in relation to the heroic and blood-letting Civil Rights Movement with its heartfelt initial gains, “We have lost the path (and especially the togetherness that characterized our first steps on it), and we have become more and more lost, unsure of the future.” One cannot read this deeply moving, brilliant assessment of racial realities today and not come away profoundly touched, significantly enlightened, and oh-so-very tentatively hopeful that the path might be found again, and that we, as a nation, might find our post-racial dreams coming true at last. One of the finest non-fiction books I have ever read. It was a pleasure and a privilege to review.
