SPREADING POISON

In a passionate denunciation of racism and other forms of prejudice, Langone documents travails suffered by African- Americans, Jews, immigrants from around the world, women, gays, and religious minorities, primarily in the US. Although he sympathizes strongly with the victims, Langone also shows how some of them suffered discrimination only to turn against others (e.g., Irish against African-Americans and Italians). By quoting contemporary accounts, he effectively conveys the social climate that allowed prejudice to grow, drawing relevant parallels to present-day controversies. Readers will skip right over the few instances of sloppy syntax, but may be put off by the author's well-intentioned moralizing; Langone asks them to empathize with each of the groups, then confront and overcome their own prejudices. Broader-based than most books on the topic, this will certainly excite interest among middle- and high-school students. Source notes; index not seen. (Nonfiction. 12+)