Elliott Currie

A Peculiar Indifference: The Neglected Toll of Violence on Black America by Elliot Currie is a phenomenal book that both explains the situation in some detail and offers solutions that can resolve the problems. Not simply some bandaids or policy meant as a campaign votegetter, but genuine solutions.

The first part of the book is both the most important for grasping the situation as well as the part that could make some reader's eyes glaze over. It is rich in statistics. Please work through this material, in fact, go slowly. Currie does a wonderful job of explaining what the statistics mean and what they don't mean. He addresses what is glossed over in some studies and what might be needed in future research. He makes this material as interesting as is humanly possible. He works to contextualize the research for us as well as make comparisons so we can better visualize just how significant the disparities are. One thing I would have liked would have been a few actual visuals, but not too many or a reader might be tempted to skim the visuals and miss out on all the nuances.

The research that Currie covers is largely quantitative early on and more qualitative after that foundation has been laid. That is why I think going through the book slowly will pay great dividends. Restating some of the figures to yourself, imagining what those numbers represent, reading the qualitative work carefully and reading with a sense of empathy for not only our fellow citizens but our fellow human beings.

The recommendations he offers to remedy the disparity follow logically from the research. Much of what he says has been said before, but not followed through on. Correcting centuries of mistreatment isn't going to be easy or happen over night, but with a concerted and honest effort it won't take nearly as long as many think. Those who use that excuse, who point to small gains (that sometimes aren't even gains but lateral moves) and say it is a slow process, are the ones who aren't truly invested in making the country better or helping their fellow citizens, they're mostly concerned with maintaining their privilege and unwarranted advantage.

I highly recommend this to anyone who cares about making the world a better place, who want to work toward correcting the centuries of racial discrimination and terrorism, and who want more facts and better ideas to support their arguments and start change rolling.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)