Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States by Pyong Gap Min, Pyong Gap Min (Editor)

From the Publisher

Racism has plagued the United States since its inception. The underside of American history is filled with the reality of racism--the decimation and removal of the Indians, slavery, Jim Crow, internment camps for Japanese Americans, the "crime" of driving while black, and border patrols, to name some examples. This set covers the period from Colonial times until today and all the groups discriminated against at one time or another--Arabs and Muslims, who are the most recent targets, blacks, Asians, the indigenous, Latinos, European immigrants, and Jews. It is the first to explore the magnitude of the explosive issue and does so in a non-inflammatory manner. More than 450 essay entries present key terms, organizations, movements, incidents, forums, texts, individuals, legislation, theories, and the like. The wide range of entries will facilitate cross-disciplinary reading and research for high school and higher education students and the general reader. As an authoritative ready-reference, it will be crucial for understanding of the minority groups and their experiences with the dominant culture. Most entries contain suggestions for further reading. A timeline, photos, and a host of primary documents uomplement the entries. Sample entries: Academic Racism, American Literature and Racism, Aryan Nations, Barrios, Bensonhurst Incident, Columbus Day Controversy, Detroit Race Riot of 1967, Eugenics Movement, Films and Racial Stereotypes, Freedom Riders, Gulf War, Jim Crow Laws, La Raza Unida, March on Washington, Melting Pot, Mexican Repatriations, Minstrelsy, Nation of Islam, One-Drop Rule, Pan-Asian Solidarity, Race Riots, Redlining, Sharecropping, Sioux Outbreak of 1890, SlaveCodes, Sports Mascots, Tokenism, U.S. Border Patrol, War on Poverty and the Great Society, WASPs, White Flight, Zionist Occupied Government

Mike Brown - VOYA

This set chronicles and categorizes the history of racial prejudice in the United States. More than 450 entries detail people, legislation, and movements. Lines of ethnicity blur as entries about anti-Irish and anti-Italian sentiments are included. The extensive appendix includes many primary documents and original writings. The bibliography aids research by having a general section as well as sections for African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Caucasian ethnic groups. For the most part, it is a good resource, but one senses agendas behind some entries. Entries are informative, but some may leave the researcher wanting more. Others seem to dance around the issue at hand. The entry on Irish immigrants says that they were called "Black Caucasians" (a term not found by an Internet search) whereas the term is "white nigger" and familiar to many sons of Erin. "Derogatory Terms" details few terms from the plethora of epithets available. The article about Louis Farrakhan merely mentions that he "has his detractors"; however, "Black anti-Semitism" details his anti-Semitic viewpoints. One entry describes the perceptions of some evangelical Christians that Jews are "straight on the road to hell," which struck this reviewer as a less than scholarly phrasing. "Driving while Black, Stopping People for" strikes one as a bit flippant when "Racial Profiling" was an option. This set can be an asset to a reference collection; however, it does not appear to be the definitive, "must-have" work on the subject. 2005, Greenwood, 795p. in 3 vols.; Index. Illus. Photos. Biblio. Chronology. Appendix., PLB $249.95/set.. Ages 11 to Adult.

Library Journal

Editor Min (sociology, Queens Coll., Graduate Ctr., CUNY) attempts to fill a perceived gap by focusing this three-volume set on racism in the United States. Each volume begins with a list of entries and a guide to related entries for students researching broader topics. The majority of the 450 entries run about a paragraph to a page in length, covering sociological terms, current and historical events, individuals, organizations, books, court cases, government programs, and legislation. Twenty-five of the entries deal with such broad concepts as affirmative action or the Civil Rights Movement and are about five pages long. Most entries have See Also references and suggestions for further reading. The introduction provides a brief overview of racism in the United States and is followed by a useful chronology. Primary documents found in the appendix are easily found elsewhere. Some entries do a good job of distilling complex issues while others could use more depth of analysis. The coverage of current events and recent government policies is a strength. The criteria for selection of the 37 biographical entries appear to be arbitrary; adding more biographical entries or removing them completely would improve the work. Bottom Line Considering the steep price, one would expect a more solid work, such as Ellis Cashmore's Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies or Guido Bolaffi's Dictionary of Race, Ethnicity and Culture, which are similar but more international in scope. However, this would be a useful source of background information for general readers, high school students, and lower-level undergraduates.-Patricia Arrington, Peabody Inst. Lib., Danvers, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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