From Dissent, a review of The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why by Jabari Asim and Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy; and Fire and Flood: What a difference class and race make, or did Brian Williams see the news? Bill Cosby may be right about African-Americans spending a lot on expensive sneakers—but he's wrong about why. A review of Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal by Randall Kennedy and Wrong on Race: The Democratic Party's Buried Past by Bruce Bartlett. The Prophet Reconsidered: 40 years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., new studies emphasize his economic and social philosophy.

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