The white storm How racism poisoned American democracy

Gelin (The Internet Is Broken), an award-winning author and U.S. correspondent for Dagens Nyheter, a national newspaper in Sweden, has assembled a wealth of research, including personal interviews with modern players on both sides of the political spectrum, about how racism is a threat to American democracy. The research begins with one of the country's foremost founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, who owned and sexually assaulted enslaved people yet was among the authors of the document declaring that all men are created equal. This paradox has existed throughout American history, with the initial victims being Black people but now including all marginalized people. Many historical events have borne this out, up to and including the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol. Interestingly, but sadly, history has shown that when any significant progress is made toward racial equality, there is an immediate backlash from entrenched powers and people. Readers will be alarmed by the implications Gelin infers for the future of the United States. VERDICT Recommended for all academic and larger public libraries.--Steve Dixon