A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win by Shelby Steele Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win
Book Review: Crystallizes the Rev. Wright Debacle
Summary: 5 Stars
ANYONE who intends to vote for Obama MUST read this book beforehand. So many questions are answered: Who exactly is Obama, why he would choose Rev. Wright as a pastor...all the pieces fall into place quite nicely. Obama wants more discussion on race? HERE IT IS!Book Review: A Pathetic Attempt at a Hack Job
Summary: 1 Stars
Shelby Steele, a second-rate academic with third-rate educational credentials, seems impelled to define such people as Cornel West and Barack Obama as "mediocre". This is because poor Shelby couldn't get into an Ivy League university and will smolder with rage for the rest of his days over this unalterable fact. Cornel West, Harvard-educated, was a University Professor at Harvard, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed. Barack Obama, Harvard-educated, was President of the Harvard Law Review. President of the Harvard Law Review! Ask any lawyer in the world what this means. And yet Shelby Steele would label these men mediocre. Poor Shelby. He can't control his deep and bitter envy, especially after Cornel West dismissed him as "politically naive". Poor Shelby. Maybe being associated with Stanford is just what his pitiful little ego needs for validation. And if there is truly a Bound Man anywhere in this olio of bitterness, envy, jealousy and rank resentment, Shelby Steele should look no further than his mirror to find that person. Book Review: A great read
Summary: 5 Stars
Even if you don't agree with Steele's assertions about race relations (several 1-star reviews don't) this is a fascinating book. It is beautifully written and Steele makes some compelling, although uncomfortable arguments. In the frame of a literary criticism, Steele uses texts of Obama's books and speeches to make his case about the problem of race that has Obama "trapped" between election strategies. At this point in the game it looks like he's got a shot but I would argue that it is because of his adaptation and the appeal of his wife that he has been able to bridge the gap so far. Steele's analysis is still worthwhile and I'd suggest this book to anyone interested in Obama and/or the analysis of race relations. Book Review: Steele proves prophetic
Summary: 4 Stars
Shelby Steele has proved prophetic in articulating the dangerous intersection of race and politics faced by the first serious African-American candidate for president. It turns out that Obama pursued his adult African-American identity, in part, in a church community with an ethos of deep anger, to the point of paranoia (the U.S. government invented AIDS and imports street drugs to persecute the African-American community etc). Many whites are learning for the first time that such seemingly fringe views are prevalent (or at least tolerated)in many parts of the African American community, a legacy of generations of oppression.
Can Obama now explain to white America his identification with and involvement in that community without alienating African-American opinion reflected by Reverend Wright? Can he be a bridge that opens a dialogue of deeper understanding by which whites come to grips with the anger and fears of many African-Americans while the latter face up to the futility of relying on these emotions to forge a better future in an increasingly multi-cultural country in which they are only the second largest minority?
To do so, and to have a realistic chance of being elected, Obama must take some greater risk to address these simmering tensions with a bold and honest vision of how they can be overcome through a demanding commitment to reconciliation. So far he has not addressed this head on. Instead, he has tried to let his own carefully told story and message of unity point a way forward. But this will not be enough. His response to the controversy over the Reverend Wright and his church will be either an historic opportunity or a defining moment of failure.
Mr. Steele knew whereof he spoke.
Book Review: "Masking" is a Universal Strategy
Summary: 1 Stars
The subject of masking as propounded by Steele is interesting, however I disagree with his premise that only Black Americans adopt this strategy.
Yes, I have "masked" as a black man, but in today's vain society, almost every person, regardless of race, creed or nationality, often present themselves to others in ways that they hope will be received favorably, depending on what they need at the time. It may be as subtle as embellishing the resume, or as blatant as false campaign promises by politicians. Everyday, you will find politicians, celebrities, priests and statesmen being unmasked to reveal their embarrassing secrets and true colors. It is just human nature that is bereft of racial inclinations.
As such the subject of Barack Obama as a "masking, bound man doomed to fail in his presidential bid", according to Shelby, presupposes that it is impossible for a Black man to truly feel and believe in themselves as being perceived by the general public. One can fool some people some of the time, but not always. If Obama is projecting an image radically different from what is legitimate, then it is a matter of time before the mask is melted.
Shelby Steele's critic of Barack sometimes descends to personal, especially as evidenced in Steele's demeanor at his CSPAN book presentation. Shelby reduces his book almost to a political hack job. Says Shelby "If Obama were not black, I don't think we would even know his name", and "Obama is doomed to fail". His assertion that Obama has "no substance" clearly reveals that Shelby has not watched and digested any of the Presidential debates or even tried to read Obama's website. Without "substance" Obama would never have survived twenty presidential debates, several times more than the efforts of George Bush in 2000 and 2004 combined. Shelby is obligated to have done some research since he choosed to write a book on the subject.
The appeal of Obama is that he has figured out what to say on the campaign trail. The public is tired of insincere, long-winded policy statements, therefore Obama comes with a simple appealing message on the campaign trail. This is simply astuteness on his part. Arnold Schwarzenegger employed the same tactics with success in California. Arnold was accused of inexperience and lack of solid policy plans, but he won and through bi-partisanship, has largely succeeded. It seems Shelby is unable to give credit to a black man for employing similar tactics used by other successful politicians.
Shelby's presentation calls to question his true motives. There is a feeling that "establishment" Blacks such as himself are jealous of Obama's sublime and meteoric success. I hope this is not the case.
It is disingenuous to assume that the White people that support Barack Obama would never subscribe to his philosophy unless it was presented as a "mask". As also, it is preposterous for Shelby to insinuate that Barack's message cannot be genuine since every black man, below the surface, is necessarily the stereotypical "angry black man".
I also viewed Shelby's CSPAN book presentation to a 99% white conservative audience. Even this audience seemed not to agree with his construct and presumptions. The hard truth is that no modern politician of any race can capture high stake elections such as the presidency without some mask or strategy. A blatant pro-Black, pro-White, pro-Hispanic, or pro-Asian candidate can never prevail in a presidential race, and Obama is smart enough to learn that lesson. Therefore I was pleased to see Shelby Steele's White audience challenge him again and again on his presentation.
EPILOGUE:
June 2008: Barack Obama clinched the Demcratic primaries' nomination. Shelby Steele returned to edit himself, writing that he was erroneous in his predictions about the nomination, but that Obama would never win the general elections because "bargaining" and "masking" could not propel him that far.
Nov 5, 2008: A day after Obama became president-elect, Steele wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Barack Obama seduced whites with a vision of their racial innocence precisely to coerce them into acting out of a racial motivation."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-steele5-2008nov05,0,1642069.story).
There is a certain precariousness to writing history in advance, giving definitive predictions of major on-going events. Generations from now, Steele's book may earn some dubious distinction when historians review this era in the American nation.