Book Review: The End of Anger

The dynamics of a generational evolution

Stars: 5/5

The End of Anger, the counterpart to Cose's 1993 The Rage of a Privilege Class, is a barometer of the African American sentiment on race relations in the 21st Century.

The End of Anger explores, in the age of Obama, “…why it is that many blacks are feeling optimistic these days” (ch. 1) especially when Civil Rights stalwarts would say that there is a lot of work still left to do. Cose attributes much of the change in outlook to a generational evolution. He classifies three generations, spanning from pre-1950 to 1995, and contrasts the opinions and attitudes of each. The assessment of each generation includes their thoughts of the civil rights movement and the outlook, the attitude, and opinions on race relations.

Although the “… idea of racial equality – at least in the abstract – has become an almost universally shared ideal” (ch.11), Cose unveils a vast disparity in the undercurrent of the racial belief system between Generation 1 (born before 1945) and Generation 3 (born between 1970 – 1995).

The End of Anger is the best examination of the disposition of the modern day African American society since Eugene Robinson’s Disintegration.

video credit: eccobooks

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