A welcome and timely contribution to the conversation around civil rights.
A call for reparations, among other actions, to atone for enslavement and subsequent human rights violations over the course of American history.
A longtime activist working at the intersection of race, religion, and politics, Goza lays out a program that involves not just monetary reparations to the descendants of enslaved Black people, but also repentance and repair. By the former he means a recognition of the white supremacism that enabled slaveholding and which has been transmitted, fairly well unmodified, down to permeate all the trappings of today’s systemic racism. Goza charts the trajectory from Thomas Jefferson’s apparent foreclosure on the possibility that Blacks were fully human, through Abraham Lincoln’s willingness to allow slavery to endure to preserve the Union, to LBJ-era laws authorizing the militarization of the police “to ‘control’ urban unrest.” All of this leads directly to the issue of reparations, which, Goza reminds us, have a precedent in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided $20,000 in payment to each Japanese American person who had been interned during World War II. Granted, though Ronald Reagan approved of that legislation, some within his administration worried that “the bill could establish a bad precedent for other groups who feel they have suffered injustices”—namely, of course, Black Americans. Goza skims over the fiscal implications of reparations, which many economists hold to be impractical if not ruinous, but he makes a good case for the power of those reparations to “close the racial wealth gap at an individual and family level.” Given that this gap was deliberately engineered over generations, Goza’s conclusion that reparations would constitute “the paradigm shift we must embrace if we are to thrive as a nation” seems on point and certainly, from an ethical if not economic viewpoint, persuasive and well defended.
A welcome and timely contribution to the conversation around civil rights.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780802884312
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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