The Reckoning: What Blacks Owe to Each Other

As author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling books Defending the Spirit and The Debt -- the former an insider's memoir of how Washington shapes policy toward the black world, the latter a compelling presentation of solutions to the contemporary consequences of American slavery -- Randall Robinson now focuses on the future.

In The Reckoning, Robinson provides startling insights into prominent Americans' roles in the crime and poverty that grip much of urban America, and rallies black Americans to speak out -- and reach back -- to ensure that the largely forgotten poor of black America get their chance at the American dream. The Reckoning grew out of Robinson's work with gang members, ex-convicts, and others profoundly scarred by environments of extreme poverty and its unshakable shadow -- crime. The Reckoning pays homage to residents of these neighborhoods waging heroic struggles to free their communities from economic blight and social pathology. Robinson calls on black Americans of all ages and classes to join this crucial battle to bring the residents of America's inner cities to safe harbor.