Reviews
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein
knlesiak7's review
4.0
"How many other middle-class African Americans in Louisville were intimidated from attempting to live in neighborhoods of their own choosing after hearing of the Wade and Marshall experiences? Did the next generation imbibe a fear of integration from their parents? How long do the memories of such events last? How long to they continue to intimidate?"
Segments of this important text, if the whole of it is too much to tackle in the time allotted high school social studies classes, should immediately go on educational reading lists. Rothstein's book reads as an essential and seminal one for all Americans. I went through 12 years of public schooling in a fairly progressive school district, and then went on to get a history degree, and this book completely reshaped many of the things I thought I knew. I have long been aware of the United State's long history of discrimination and segregation, and I have never denied how deeply imbued those roots of hatred remain in this country. Still, this book managed to be both eye-opening and deeply instructive.
Rothstein's central argument is that the segregation of American neighborhoods and cities is a product of de jure, rather than de facto segregation. In other words, he suggests that our government not only allowed, but itself engaged in and encouraged, the systematic segregation of African Americans in housing, which continues to leave them at an economic and societal disadvantage to this day. In attempting to prove this argument, I think Rothstein very much succeeds. His examples are exhausting, and as they continue to pile up they increasingly become not merely alarming, but deeply, deeply disturbing. Tracing segregated housing back to the reconstruction era, and then showcasing how policies of segregation were normalized during the World War II and postwar years, Rothstein highlights the ways in which systemic segregation was adapted as official government policy at the local, state, and national levels.
The book is very well organized, and runs through all aspects of segregated housing. He describes white flight and the creation of the suburbs, the confinement of minorities to inner-city ghettos, and the government-sanctioned and court-enforced discrimination, and at times physical violence, perpetrated against any African Americans who attempted to live in "white" neighborhoods. The lengths to which so many public officials, and just about every presidential administration, have gone to maintain segregation in housing was horrifying. It included such methods as providing incentives to contractors and real estate agents to build and maintain segregated neighborhoods, denying loans to African Americans and African American veterans, using courts to uphold "private" acts of segregation, such as widespread restrictive covenants, and a system of urban mapping that allocated resources and public works away from minority populations. Black neighborhoods, for instance, were demolished to create highways for whites, allowing whites to get to their city jobs from their own affluent suburban neighborhoods, while no alternative housing was provided to the African Americans forcibly uprooted. Segregated school districts were strategically moved to lure certain populations into certain neighborhoods, in order for their kids to have the best educations available to them. White Americans were led to believe that African Americans "infiltrating" their neighborhoods would crash their property values, and once their properties had been bought out at low rates, they were resold to African Americans, who, with so few alternative options, could then be charged twice as much to live there.
The extent of the segregation and the hideous methods by which it was enforced leaves a sour taste in one's mouth while reading. However, Rothstein does an excellent job of using the personal stories and experiences of African Americans to ground his larger research, and he ends his book with a compelling examination of potential solutions. He does not sugarcoat things; Rothstein in fact makes it abundantly clear that overcoming decades of discrimination is nearly impossible, especially in America's current, deeply divided political state. However, he also shows why working to peel back segregation is so essential, and so very worth the fight.
Honestly, I think the quality of this text absolutely warrants a 5-star rating. I knocked it down a star on my personal rating only because it is not the kind of text that benefits from jumping into it blindly. Some general understanding of both legal and real-estate terms would likely have made this a less tedious read. Unfortunately, I'm a 23 year old who lives with her parents (in, as it happens, a predominately white, middle-class neighborhood), and my experience with housing markets is generally limited. Weighed down by own lack of grasp on such terminology and systems, it took me a while to really get into this text. By the second half I felt like I finally had a much clearer grasp on the logistics of what was happening and the systems in place that were enforcing it, which led to a crisper reading experience. Again, this has nothing to do with Rothstein's research or skill at making his case. This is simply a difficult text, and demands constant critical thinking. It's well worth taking the time and effort to sift through, slowly and meticulously.
Segments of this important text, if the whole of it is too much to tackle in the time allotted high school social studies classes, should immediately go on educational reading lists. Rothstein's book reads as an essential and seminal one for all Americans. I went through 12 years of public schooling in a fairly progressive school district, and then went on to get a history degree, and this book completely reshaped many of the things I thought I knew. I have long been aware of the United State's long history of discrimination and segregation, and I have never denied how deeply imbued those roots of hatred remain in this country. Still, this book managed to be both eye-opening and deeply instructive.
Rothstein's central argument is that the segregation of American neighborhoods and cities is a product of de jure, rather than de facto segregation. In other words, he suggests that our government not only allowed, but itself engaged in and encouraged, the systematic segregation of African Americans in housing, which continues to leave them at an economic and societal disadvantage to this day. In attempting to prove this argument, I think Rothstein very much succeeds. His examples are exhausting, and as they continue to pile up they increasingly become not merely alarming, but deeply, deeply disturbing. Tracing segregated housing back to the reconstruction era, and then showcasing how policies of segregation were normalized during the World War II and postwar years, Rothstein highlights the ways in which systemic segregation was adapted as official government policy at the local, state, and national levels.
The book is very well organized, and runs through all aspects of segregated housing. He describes white flight and the creation of the suburbs, the confinement of minorities to inner-city ghettos, and the government-sanctioned and court-enforced discrimination, and at times physical violence, perpetrated against any African Americans who attempted to live in "white" neighborhoods. The lengths to which so many public officials, and just about every presidential administration, have gone to maintain segregation in housing was horrifying. It included such methods as providing incentives to contractors and real estate agents to build and maintain segregated neighborhoods, denying loans to African Americans and African American veterans, using courts to uphold "private" acts of segregation, such as widespread restrictive covenants, and a system of urban mapping that allocated resources and public works away from minority populations. Black neighborhoods, for instance, were demolished to create highways for whites, allowing whites to get to their city jobs from their own affluent suburban neighborhoods, while no alternative housing was provided to the African Americans forcibly uprooted. Segregated school districts were strategically moved to lure certain populations into certain neighborhoods, in order for their kids to have the best educations available to them. White Americans were led to believe that African Americans "infiltrating" their neighborhoods would crash their property values, and once their properties had been bought out at low rates, they were resold to African Americans, who, with so few alternative options, could then be charged twice as much to live there.
The extent of the segregation and the hideous methods by which it was enforced leaves a sour taste in one's mouth while reading. However, Rothstein does an excellent job of using the personal stories and experiences of African Americans to ground his larger research, and he ends his book with a compelling examination of potential solutions. He does not sugarcoat things; Rothstein in fact makes it abundantly clear that overcoming decades of discrimination is nearly impossible, especially in America's current, deeply divided political state. However, he also shows why working to peel back segregation is so essential, and so very worth the fight.
Honestly, I think the quality of this text absolutely warrants a 5-star rating. I knocked it down a star on my personal rating only because it is not the kind of text that benefits from jumping into it blindly. Some general understanding of both legal and real-estate terms would likely have made this a less tedious read. Unfortunately, I'm a 23 year old who lives with her parents (in, as it happens, a predominately white, middle-class neighborhood), and my experience with housing markets is generally limited. Weighed down by own lack of grasp on such terminology and systems, it took me a while to really get into this text. By the second half I felt like I finally had a much clearer grasp on the logistics of what was happening and the systems in place that were enforcing it, which led to a crisper reading experience. Again, this has nothing to do with Rothstein's research or skill at making his case. This is simply a difficult text, and demands constant critical thinking. It's well worth taking the time and effort to sift through, slowly and meticulously.
linluvsbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
The research, facts, arguments, conclusions - all are very solid and well done. Dining the rating solely on dense-ness. Much of it was very readable (and I approve of the citation formatting with endnotes) but large swaths were very info-dense and made it a very slow read. The FAQ session was especially great imo.
I started it in fall of 2020, put it down expecting to pick it up again in a couple of months, and didn’t return to it for over 2 years, but I’m very glad I completed it.
I started it in fall of 2020, put it down expecting to pick it up again in a couple of months, and didn’t return to it for over 2 years, but I’m very glad I completed it.
hmacdou1's review against another edition
5.0
All I can say is WOW!! I knew about redlining going into this, but I did not know the pervasiveness to which different levels of government participated in the de jure segregation of Black Americans.
There is a lot of statistics and some language considered dry, but just the sheer amount of evidence was so astonishing to read that it really kept my interest.
This book really provides a backdrop to what is happening today and provides so many answers and clarifications.
Every single American should read this book.
There is a lot of statistics and some language considered dry, but just the sheer amount of evidence was so astonishing to read that it really kept my interest.
This book really provides a backdrop to what is happening today and provides so many answers and clarifications.
Every single American should read this book.
aweekinthelife's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
a very in depth look into how the US got to where it is today, mostly centered around questions of housing, economics, and discrimination from a legal perspective. the information is good, but the presentation is quite dense and harder to get through, even on audio.
annamay1021's review
4.0
Super important information, but it is presented in an academic, legal way that makes it a bit difficult to read.