Is a truly race-neutral society possible? Can the United States wipe the slate clean and surmount the racism of its past? Or is color blindness just another name for denial? Ellis Cose, author of The Rage of a Privileged Class, now probes the murky depths of the American mind and exposes the contradictions, fears, hopes, and illusions embedded in our complicated perceptions of race.

As he investigates whether Martin Luther King's dream of a society in which people would be judged not by color but by character is realizable, Cose explains, in his pointed and provocative style, how the ongoing race debate - one side claiming that discrimination is at the root of all of America's racial problems, the other maintaining that prejudice has practically disappeared - has failed to paint a complete picture of reality.

Drawing on the experiences of South Africa and Latin America, Cose illustrates why it has been impossible for the United States to move directly from race relations hell (where discrimination is sanctioned and animosity flows freely) to race relations utopia (where discrimination is condemned and a race-neutral society prevails) without passing through a purgatory where legal barriers have been dropped but racial misunderstandings and ingrained prejudices persist.

With the concrete solutions of a true visionary, Cose concludes by offering twelve steps toward the society of Dr. King's dream, presenting America with a powerful challenge to achieve its true potential.