The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn't and How We All Can Move Forward Now

The Moment is a thought provoking, erudite, and oddly hopeful monograph on race relations in the USA, the pervasive sense of injustice up until the current point in time, and what to do about it *now* presented by Bakari Sellers. Released 23rd April 2024 by HarperCollins on their Amistad imprint, it's 192 pages, and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in second quarter 2025. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The problems surrounding culture and race in the USA have been intractable and full of so much rage and pain and unfairness that, given the current political climate and realities in the US ("Very fine people on both sides" and the constant unrelenting murders of vulnerable unarmed black and brown people by the very police who are meant to be protecting them), it has felt hopeless and the resultant despair and cynicism aren't any kind of surprise. 

The titular "Moment" to which Sellers refers is the murder of George Floyd which galvanized reactions across the USA. The prose he uses in the book is unvarnished, accessible for all readers, and compassionately written. He writes eloquently on the history of the civil rights movements from the early days and how they have resonated and informed policy down to the present. The later chapters are concerned with the current day and expose some grave threats from extreme end-stage capitalism and how it allies with institutionalized racism and systemic economic and political inequality. 

Lots of good points here, logically presented. The author is intelligent and well spoken (he's an attorney and has served as an elected political official). There is a fair bit of pep-talk at the end, but overall, it's an encouraging sign that there's more strength and resilience in his extemporizing than rage (and frankly, given the political circus of the last 6 years, rage seems a perfectly reasonable response and is the default mode along with disgust of many colleagues and friends). 

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, for fans of layman accessible politics and social commentary, and for home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.