Illuminating Books About the History of Race in America

Dorothy Roberts is one of the foremost writers in race and sociology. Although her book Killing the Black Body is frequently recommended, we’re highlighting Fatal Invention here, which helps readers understand how so-called biological differences between races are falsified, exaggerated and used to continue to sow inequality, even in the “colorblind” society of 21st century America. Dr. Roberts shows how historical conceptions of race and difference continue to affect our society even when their underpinnings have been debunked.

Because Americans agree that money has value, the American dollar survives. Likewise, because Americans have an understanding of race as a difference beyond skin color, race and racism survive. In this compelling book, O’Malley shows how conceptions of money and race are deeply interwoven in America, from slavery to a modern gold rush during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Although this book is far more of an immediate sociological record rather than a historical approach guided by sociological impulse, reading Ida B. Wells is a key to understanding how modern police-involved killings echo the historical lynchings of black people in the late 19th and early 20th century. Wells, who was honored this year with a posthumous Pulitzer Prize special citation, was the first to attempt a national cataloging of the lynchings that terrorized black communities. Wells explored the stated “reason” for all lynchings and the fear and anger that really propelled their occurrences.

McNally explores the intertwining histories of race and music in this fascinating tome, from the early days of minstrelsy to swing, blues, and folk music. Not only does he show how American music is reliant on Black innovation, McNally also shows how political thought, artistic endeavor, and social change frequently started with musicians whose ancestors had once been enslaved.

Painter travels all the way back to Ancient Greece to begin her exploration of whiteness. Continuing through the 21st century, she shows how race has been formulated from ideas about class, beauty, and labor. Accessible but highly researched, this book is a great introduction to thinking about race, covering everything from eugenics to the Irish experience in America.

This seminal study by University of California professor and civil rights activist Angela Y. Davis explores how gender, race, and class have interacted over centuries of political change. Davis explores the women’s liberation movement, birthed alongside abolitionist causes in the 19th century. From the right to vote to the right to abortion, women’s movements have often splintered and fragmented along race lines.