Like me, Matt Bai is a white guy who tackles the thorny issue of race.  To his credit, Bai acknowledges the insecurity his subject matter can produce.  What’s a white man know about Black America, anyway?

I profile this lengthy tome for a number of reasons.  For one thing, it touches on the reaction of Black opinion leaders (including Friends of Justice ally, James Rucker of Color of Change) to the Jena story.  For another, Bai uses the fruit of his extensive investigation to examine the often-frosty reception Barack Obama has received from traditional civil rights leaders.

Is Black politics gradually disappearing into the American political soup the way Irish or Italian issues, once distinctive, eventually became indistinguishable from mainstream politics?  Or, is the plight of Black America distinct and unique.  How long do the shadows of history stetch? 

Why does Jesse Jackson Sr. want to cut off Barack Obama’s nuts, and why has his son, Jesse Jr., taken his father to task over his incendiary remarks?  Why did so many Black politicians initially prefer a white woman to a black male?  Why did Barack Obama have a hard time finding a place in the Congressional Black Caucus?

Bai’s answers may surprise you.