About this Event
In person at Brookline Booksmith! Celebrate the release of The End of Respectability with author Anthony Walton, in conversation with Dr. Rohit Chandra.
Register for the event!
RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. You will also be alerted to important details about the program, including safety requirements, cancellations, and book signing updates. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.
Get your copy!
Books will be available for purchase at the event, but you can ensure that you get a copy by preordering on this page. You can pick your book up after 6:30PM on the day of the event.
Can't make it to the event? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held or shipped from the store!
Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.
Livestream!
When possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates. No registration is required for the livestream.
The End of Respectability: Notes of a Black American Reckoning with His Life and His Nation
American Blacks are entering a new phase in the struggle against white supremacy. Standing firmly in the African American tradition, Walton believes in the possibility of reconciliation with those whites who desire it, offering a hand of friendship and pragmatic ideas for paths forward.
Born into the Civil Rights Movement, author Anthony Walton observed firsthand the opening of opportunity for racial reconciliation. He also saw systemic racism and the vicious backlash against Black progress embodied in the Southern Strategy, Tea Party, and MAGA. Over time, Walton came to believe that moving forward requires a "Third Reconstruction" to accomplish what remains: better health outcomes, secure voting rights, and sustained economic and educational opportunity. Only this approach, he believes, will accomplish what remains unfinished for true African American equality.
Blending social history, bracing analysis, and autobiography, this dazzling collection includes essays published in The New York Times and The Atlantic--including "Willie Horton and Me" and the much-anthologized "Technology vs. African Americans"--as well as new work that probes Walton's earlier thinking. Throughout, the author delivers insights that wrestle with the hydra-headed, ever-changing realities of an American society in which the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The End of Respectability illuminates recent American history as experienced by a writer who has remained open to hope, unfazed by failures, and unflinchingly dedicated to the truth. This book will leave you changed. And just may incite you to be a part of the change we need.
Anthony Walton received a Whiting Award for his non-fiction work Mississippi: An American Journey. His essays, poems, and reviews have appeared widely in magazines, journals, and anthologies, including The New Yorker, Harper's, Notre Dame Magazine, Oxford American, the New York Times, and the BBC. He is currently a professor and senior writer-in-residence at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
About Brookline Booksmith
We are one of New England’s premier independent bookstores, family-owned and locally run since 1961. We offer an extensive selection of new, used, and bargain books; unique, beautiful gifts; award-winning events series; and specialty foods. Every day, we strive to foster community through the written word, represent a diverse range of voices and histories, and inspire conversations that enrich our lives. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!
EVENT ACCESSIBILITY
This event will take place at street level. If possible, the event will be livestreamed to YouTube. ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. Seats are limited. Please email us at [email protected] as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. We will do our best to serve your needs!
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 46.17
