Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur

Ron Christie

St. Martin's Press, Oct 12, 2010 - History - 304 pages

In the tradition of Randall Kennedy’s Nigger and Shelby Steele’s The Content of Our Character, Acting White demonstrates how the charge that any African-American who is successful, well mannered, or well educated is “acting white,” is a slur that continues to haunt blacks. Ron Christie traces the complex history of the phrase, from Uncle Tom’s Cabin to the tensions between Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X to Bill Cosby’s controversial NAACP speech in 2004. The author also writes candidly of being challenged by black students for his “acting white,” and also of being labeled a race traitor in Congress by daring to be Republican. This lucid chronicle reveals how this prevalent put-down sets back much of the hard-earned progress for all blacks in American society. Deftly argued and determinedly controversial, this book is certain to spur thoughtful discussion for years to come.

What people are saying

Review: Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur

User Review  - Charlie Rosenthal - Goodreads

Interesting, but this is just a 200 page apology for Ron Christie's conservatism. Beyond that, much of his analysis is just not all that rigorous. Not a serious work of history, though he does make ...

Review: Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur

User Review  - VJ - Goodreads

Ron Christie whines through this entire book. I waded through 9 chapters before finally reading of his experiences with being called a sellout, an Uncle Tom, and being charged with acting white ...

About the author

RON CHRISTIE, a veteran senior advisor of both the White House and Congress and formerly a special assistant to President George W. Bush, is a noted political and legal analyst. He is a professor of political science and strategy at George Washington University and Haverford College and the author of Black in the White House.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur
• Author: Ron Christie
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2010
• ISBN: 1429948094, 9781429948098
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: History / Social History; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies