For twenty-five years Tom Wicker wrote for The New York Times with passion, intelligence, and integrity, educating a generation of readers on important political and social issues of the day. Now, in Tragic Failure, this respected observer of America develops his ideas on the subject of race relations.

Not until the civil rights movement of the 1960s, one hundred years after the abolition of slavery, were African-Americans able to achieve a semblance of racial equality. Yet the successes of the movement failed to translate into full racial integration or first-class citizenship for most blacks.

The white backlash of the last several years and issues such as affirmative action, poverty, crime, unemployment, and welfare have made race the subtext for almost all political debate - the "dirty little secret" of American politics. This is a tragic failure of national proportions, which demands that America face these old questions with new answers.

1. Having been an eyewitness to the significant events of the last three decades, Wicker is informed by the perspective of history and the wisdom of years. His analysis is thoughtful, his suggestions bold and constructive - calling for, in particular, a new alignment of political allegiances. Tragic Failure is a timely, valuable contribution to the most pressing problem facing Americans today.