Dark Witness

Ralph Wiley

19 ratings by Goodreads

Language: English

Published by One World/Ballantine, 1996

0345400550 / 9780345400550

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You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. . . . Yes, take it all around, there is quite a good deal of information in the book. I regret this very much; but really it could not be helped.' --Mark Twain Like his literary forebears--Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, and yes, Mark Twain--Ralph Wiley has some information to purvey. The news is not always good. But with Wiley's electrifying take on subjects from the black intelligentsia to The Bell Curve to O.J., Dark Witness is certain to outrage, entertain, and ultimately enlighten. The titles of his chapters say it all: 'One Day, When I Was On Exhibit.' 'Why Black People Are So Stupid.' 'Why Niggers Steal, Are Violent, and Stay on Welfare.' 'Where Negroes Got All That Rhythm.' 'Whoopi-Do and Hughes 2.' 'Sin and Juice.' Behind the explosive flash of these phrases simmer the intense honesty and searing self-reflection of a man burning for justice. Taking to heart Douglass's words that 'it is not light that is needed, but fire.not the gentle shower, but thunder,' Wiley, heir to the long tradition of 'writer as activist,' examines some of the most hotly debated issues of black life today and turns them inside out: Affirmative action: 'Many times, it seemed the 'worst' black candidates were chosen in hopes that they would fail. People talked about increased productivity, but often they meant in the personal sense. When others succeeded or produced, they felt lessened--it is human nature to feel this, but for a 'white' man to feel inferior to a 'black' in America causes instant insanity.' O.J. Simpson: 'Now I've heard it said that The Juice, owing to his choices in women and habitat, wanted to be 'white.' A bigger crock of crap I've never heard. Juice made 'whites' feel comfortable with his kind of 'blackness.' He didn't want to be 'white.' He wanted to be privileged. And he was.' Huck Finn: 'There's a Mark Twain Middle School not three miles from my base camp. An administrative aide there, a 'black' man, had wanted to delete any reference to that archaic/contemporary word 'nigger' from Twain's book--the one place where such copious use of the word in society was first best put in perspective, where it was used to describe a condition, where it reflected on the speaker, not the subject. There is not one usage of nigger in Huck Finn that I consider inauthentic and I am hard to please that way.' No one writing today has the incisiveness, the fire to dissect the world the way Ralph Wiley does. In Dark Witness he proves once again that he is one the most gifted writers chronicling life in the crucible that is late-twentieth century America.…

Seller Inventory # 9780345400550

Title
Dark Witness
Author
Ralph Wiley
Publisher
One World/Ballantine
Publication year
1996
Condition
Collectible-Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
Language
English
ISBN 10
0345400550
ISBN 13
9780345400550

SZ Global

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At SZ Global, we specialize in sourcing and offering a diverse selection of books across a wide range of categories, including fiction, literature, business, religious works, and more. Our inventory includes both contemporary titles and hard to find editions, carefully selected to meet the needs of readers, collectors, and enthusiasts. We are committed to providing accurate listings, reliable service, and a smooth purchasing experience. All orders are shipped from our Kuwait warehouse, and we take great care in packaging to ensure books arrive in the condition described. Returns are accepted at our designated return address in Toronto, Canada, in accordance with AbeBooks policies. Whether you are expanding your personal collection, searching for a specific title, or simply exploring, SZ Global aims to be a dependable source for quality books.…

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