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Reviewed by Gene Durnell Newly-elected President Barack Obama and Princeton University Professor of Religion Dr. Cornel West have at least a few things in common. Both are black intellectuals educated at Ivy League universities, both have drawn on a wide range of sources in developing their respective world views, and both have been heavily influenced by African American Christian traditions. In his latest book, Hope on a Tightrope, West uses Obama as a foil in discussing a wide range of topics, from race to religion to social justice. The main part of the book consists of an introduction and eleven chapters, each devoted to a single theme. Apart from the introduction, the chapters have little narrative flow and consist of small, untitled sub-sections. Published after Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination but before he won the general election, Hope on a Tightrope serves as an interesting but flawed introduction to West’s ideas.
One of West’s main points in Hope on a Tightrope—one that seems to be written in direct response to sense of expectation created by Obama’s candidacy—is that the hopeful must not divorce themselves from life’s pain. “When you’re optimistic,” West says, “you can stand apart to see how things are going. But when you’re full of hope, you’re in the midst of the muck.” Many of the people West holds up as models, such as Martin Luther King., Jr. and lesser known abolitionist David Walker, were certainly “in the midst of the muck.” West’s choices of examples of leadership show his skepticism of a politician’s (and by implication Obama’s) ability to effect real change. In diagnosing the social ills of black America, West avoids simplistic ideological analysis. He acknowledges the role that values play in social and economic development, and partially faults the media and television, which transmit values such as self-centeredness and materialism, that drag black youth down.
In spite of Hope on a Tightrope’s intellectual merits, the impact of West’s thinking is compromised by structural and literary flaws. The lack of narrative flow in the main chapters weakens his arguments. Reading Hope on a Tightrope is like touring a foreign country with a guide who is trying to take you to as many places in as little time as possible. The tightrope metaphor is used a few times in the book, but West seems to have chosen it because “rope” rhymes with Is true hope a matter of maintaining balance? If so, what are the extremes hope should avoid? Pessimism and optimism? It’s not clear. Hope on a Tightrope seems to be West’s attempt to have his say in the midst of Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. According to West, we are in a critical time in American history, a “moment of national truth or consequences.” By rushing in to join the conversation, West has compromised his own very high intellectual and literary standards. Readers interested in West’s contribution to American philosophical and intellectual life would be better served reading Race Matters (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993) or Democracy Matters (The Penguin Press HC, September 2, 2004). Photo of Dr. Cornel West courtesy of Princeton University. « « Previous Post | Next Post » »CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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