Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

I used this book as my primary source for a school presentation. The book was informative and really made me think about the word nigger, its origin and its uses. Randall Kennedy includes a bunch of anecdotes and quotations from people we recognize (and some we don't) in order to show the impact of 'nigger' on humanity. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially blacks, as it opened my eyes and the eyes of my presentation's audience, the majority of which was white. As the lone black man in my high school class, I wanted to bring something new to my white schoolmates, but to my surprise, I learned a lot as well.

In a society whose thriving diversity often collides head-on with political correctness, an enormous amount of courage and wisdom is required to discuss what one California prosecutor called "the filthiest, dirtiest, nastiest word in the English language" - nigger. Randall Kennedy, a Harvard Law School professor and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, demonstrates his courage and wisdom by taking on the dangerous subject of the "N-word" in his book, Nigger - The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word (Pantheon Books, 2002). Kennedy examines the origins of the word and the many uses of the word. He examines the hateful use of the word by white supremacists, the ironic use of the word by black comedians, and the attempts by some to transform the word from a racist insult into something positive. Kennedy looks at several court cases in which "nigger" played a prominent role. The cases, both civil and criminal, reveal a tragic and shameful part of American history, as well as a troubling overreaction to correct the wrongs of the past by engaging in what amounts to unconstitutional censorship. Kennedy puts forth his opinions with clarity, and refrains from indulging in the incendiary rhetoric that often disrupts any intelligent discussion on this controversial topic. His opinions are based on two key factors - his impressive legal career, and his life as an African American citizen in the United States of America. While Kennedy points out that certain public servants who use "nigger" as an insult or racist remark deserve public condemnation, he also takes issue with the activists who attempted to coerce Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary into removing the word from its pages. "Nigger should have a place in any serious dictionary," says Kennedy. "The word is simply too important to ignore." Kennedy also decries efforts to remove Mark Twain's classic Huckleberry Finn from schools. While "nigger" appears in the text 215 times, Kennedy argues that the book is not racist, but a compelling condemnation of racism. "Twain is not willfully buttressing racism here; he is seeking ruthlessly to unveil and ridicule it. By putting 'nigger' in white characters' mouths, the author is not branding blacks, but rather branding the whites." Kennedy's book is an important work, and an invaluable contribution to improving understanding among the races. While its very title will no doubt cause the book to be excluded from the shelves of many libraries and book stores, "Nigger" deserves to be read. Introducing the book to senior high school students, with mature guidance from teachers, will help to build a foundation of awareness that students will carry with them into college, the workplace, and most importantly, the home. As a boy, I remember a relative who jokingly declared after a long car trip, "Last one out of the car is a nigger!" Countless readers can no doubt recall similar - and more hurtful - incidents from their lives. Aft

This book is a Godsend! Randall Kennedy is a genius! I sincerely hope that as many people as possible read this book. In my opinion, this ranks as one of the most revolutionary books ever written about American language to date; it has helped me more clearly understand the 'fangs of the viper'. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, methodically dissects the N-word to show the deliberate and diabolical social engineering that was used to transform nigger into one of the most explosive words in American history. At the same time, the book holds out the idea that change may, at sometime in the future, be possible; that one day our children will look at the fossilized remains of this little word and wonder, "What was the big deal?"