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Black Rednecks & White Liberals

by Thomas Sowell

4.14 · rating details · 335 ratings · 55 reviews

This new book challenges many of the long prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written and backed with a startling array of documented facts, Black Rednecks and White Liberals takes on not only the trendy intellectuals of our times but also such historic interpreters of American life as Alexis de Tocque...more

Paperback, 372 pages

Published April 24th 2006 by Encounter Books

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Dec 09, 2008

Seth rated it

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Fantastic approach to race and discrimination. I enjoyed his research about the roots of "redneck culture" originating in Scotland and other fringe areas of the Brittish Empire.

I thought the views on "middle-men minorities" and "segregated schools" were especially insightful. He approaches every topic with a balanced yet incisive perspective.

For example, he forgives Washington's slave ownership. He reminds us that men of fortune during...moreFantastic approach to race and discrimination. I enjoyed his research about the roots of "redneck culture" originating in Scotland and other fringe areas of the Brittish Empire.

I thought the views on "middle-men minorities" and "segregated schools" were especially insightful. He approaches every topic with a balanced yet incisive perspective.

For example, he forgives Washington's slave ownership. He reminds us that men of fortune during the colonial period viewed their family fortunes as something to preserve and to be passed down to others. Washington viewed his role as a steward and not as an owner of his property (implying that he wasn't at liberty to free his slaves because they were not his to free but his entire family's). Washington freed his slaves in his will because there were no heirs to his estate, thus, releasing Washington from the responsibility of preserving it. Washington thoroughly explained in the will how his slaves would be supported by the estate. Some of his slaves were supported for decades after Washington's death.

He makes a similar defense for Jefferson. He dismisses any historical perspective that pretends the "west" is the originator of evils such as slavery, violence, and conquest. He compares the "west's" treatment of slaves to the "east's" and finds middle eastern and Asian countries less civil and more barbaric in regards to slavery, racism, and conquests. He persuasively argues that had it not been for the West's views of freedom and moral objections to slavery then the rest of the world would never have seen a problem with it. The uniqueness of the West is in the fact that they globally abolished it even when the rest of the world resisted.

Sowell is smart, hard hitting, honest, and freshly independent. His approach to black school's and western slavery will fascinate you. His essays on German culture are especially rewarding. The fact that he is black gives him a certain level of freedom in his criticism of black culture and liberal correctness that makes this book one of a kind.(less)

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Dec 12, 2011

Vannessagrace Vannessagrace rated it

It’s not often that a reader opens a work of non-fiction and the words written on the first page has such an impact that it smacks the reader so hard the reader has to rub his/her cheek to soothe the blow.

This is the impact I felt with Black Rednecks and White Liberals. The first page drew me in and made it a challenge not to call work and say I wouldn’t be in because I didn’t want to put the book down.

What I liked about Black Rednecks and White Liberals is that it reinforced what I already knew

...more

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Dec 13, 2007

Nicko rated it

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That Thomas Sowell hasn't yet won the Nobel Prize for Economic Science reflects more poorly upon the economics profession's infatuation with mathematical formulas than upon Sowell's lifetime achievement. Personally, I've learned more from Sowell than from any other living economist, with the possible exception of his old teacher, Milton Friedman.

For example, in "Are Jews Generic?" Sowell outlines the tendency of the masses to persecute "middle-man minorities" suc...more

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Nov 16, 2008

Danelley rated it

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Adam was telling me about this book, and about the amazing man that is Thomas Sowell. Read his bio -- he's led a very interesting life. It's interesting that many of the "undesirable" qualities of the South, e.g. working to feed the family when needed, rather than having a steady work ethic and income, may have come from original settlers from wilder areas like Ulstead County, Ireland, and Wales, and Northern Scotland, where many of my ancestors are from! (Back in the 17th-18th cent...more

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Dec 18, 2011

Frederick Glaysher rated it

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Thomas Sowell. Black Rednecks. White Liberals. MCRI[return]November 28th, 2006[return][return]Thomas Sowell, Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, 2005.[return][return]Black RednecksThe approval by voters of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative corroborates Thomas Sowell’s observation in his Preface to the book, referring to “a growing willingness to consider views that differ from the racial orthodoxy that has prevailed largely unchallenged from the 1960s onward in intellectual ci...moreThomas Sowell. Black Rednecks. White Liberals. MCRI[return]November 28th, 2006[return][return]Thomas Sowell, Black Rednecks and White Liberals. Encounter Books, 2005.[return][return]Black RednecksThe approval by voters of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative corroborates Thomas Sowell’s observation in his Preface to the book, referring to “a growing willingness to consider views that differ from the racial orthodoxy that has prevailed largely unchallenged from the 1960s onward in intellectual circles and in the popular media.” The education, government, business, and media elites of Michigan all banded together to hammer into the population the same old tiresome racial orthodoxy, to no avail. The people had had over forty years of it, experienced it in lived life, and would have no more of it. By an overwhelming fifty-eight percent, they voted to change direction, try something different from the orthodoxy of the liberal elites. Thomas Sowell’s book Black Rednecks and White Liberals suggests further lines for reconsideration and change.[return][return]In this context, I believe the most interesting essays in the book are “The Real History of Slavery” and “Black Education: Achievements, Myths and Tragedies.” Rejecting the Kunte Kinte view of slavery found in Alex Haley’s Roots, Sowell emphasizes that slavery was a worldwide phenomenon practiced by virtually all peoples and nations, not at all exclusively by white Western nations. Sowell perceives why the contemporary discussion of slavery is usually so distorted:[return][return] “Why would anyone wish to arbitrarily understate an evil that plagued mankind for thousands of years, unless it was not this evil itself that was the real concern, but rather the present-day uses of that historic evil? Clearly, the ability to score ideological points against American society or Western civilization, or to induce guilt and thereby extract benefits from the white population today, are greatly enhanced by making enslavement appear to be a peculiarly American, or a peculiarly white, crime” (111).[return][return]All of this feeds directly into the radical politics of affirmative action racial preferences. It skews our understanding of the real historical evils of slavery and substitutes emotional Hollywood distortions for the complexity of human experience.[return][return]Narrowing the history of slavery from the long record reaching back over three thousands years, in Europe, Africa, China, India, every region of the world, it was nevertheless only the Western world that developed moral compunctions against slavery and launched a “bitter worldwide struggle, which lasted more than a century, to destroy the elaborate systems and institutions for the ownership and sale of human beings” (114). Of particular interest is Sowell’s discussion of slavery under Islamic societies, in North Africa and elsewhere, which enslaved far more people than were ever brought to the Western hemisphere. Cervantes in Don Quixote has an incredible account of his five-year enslavement after the battle of Lepanto in 1571. Sowell’s discussion throws interesting light on the conditions to which European and African slaves found themselves subjected. Many millions of Europeans and Africans were enslaved over the centuries in Islamic countries, facts that ought to be studied much more after 9/11.[return][return]Similarly, Sowell emphasizes it was black tribal leaders who practiced slavery “before, during, and after the white man arrived” (120). Connecting the real history of slavery with its distorted uses by those who today want to fight for racial spoils, Sowell writes,[return][return] “Yet what was peculiar about the West was not that it participated in the worldwide evil of slavery, but that it later abolished that evil, not only in Western societies but also in other societies subject to Western control or influence. This was possible only because the anti-slavery movement coincided with an era in which Western power and hegemony were at their zenith, so that it was essentially European imperialism which ended slavery. This idea might seem shocking, not because it does not fit the facts, but because it does not fit the prevailing vision of our time” (134-135).[return][return]Visions hang on beyond their time, beyond their usefulness, such has been the case with racial preferences, which are predicated on a distorted sense of actual historical slavery. By addressing the real history of slavery, Sowell restores the proper perspective needed to come to terms with the complexity of American slavery and the perspective needed to find new ways to work together today. He observes at one point “Africans did not treat Europeans any better than Europeans treated Africans. Neither can be exempted from moral condemnation applied to the other” (139). If Michigan is seeking a new understanding of equality, one place to begin might be to realize, as Sowell says elsewhere, the prevailing vision of slavery of the “morally self-anointed” is wrong. To find a new future, we must recognize our understanding of the past is flawed, reconsider its complexity, understand no one is blameless, and move forward together.[return][return]In “Black Education: Achievements, Myths and Tragedies,” Sowell reconsiders the prevailing vision of the actual history of black education and demonstrates that it too is much different from the skewed account so many politically motivated radicals and liberals use to justify failed educational programs and policies:[return][return] “The quest for esoteric methods of trying to educate black children proceeds as if such children had never been successfully educated before, when in fact there are concrete examples, both from history and from our own times, of schools that have been successful in educating black children, including those from low-income families. Yet the prevailing educational dogma is that you simply cannot expect children who are not middle class to do well on standardized tests, for all sorts of sociological and psychological reasons” (203).[return][return]Sowell further states that this dogma is false for both black and other minority children and discusses a number of outstanding schools reaching from after the Civil War to the present, such as the M Street School, later to become known as Dunbar High School in Washington, DC.[return][return]After a long survey of these and other schools, Sowell writes,[return][return] “What the record of successful minority schools shows, both in history and among contemporary schools, is that educational achievement is not foredoomed by economic or social circumstances beyond the school grounds, as the education establishment constantly strives to prove. Poverty, broken homes, and unruly environments are not to be ignored, downplayed or apologized for. But neither are the failings of others proof that the education establishment is doing its job right. Perfect students with perfect parents in a perfect society cannot learn things that they are not being taught–and that includes an increasing number of basic things in our public schools” (217).[return][return]While the howls of protest to this passage might be the usual ones from the education establishment, I would argue his stress on working with students where they are and expecting “work and discipline” (221) from them is a no-nonsense approach that ought to be tried more often than not, instead of the latest pitying, enabling, undermining educational theory that asks little or nothing of kids and gets little or nothing in return. Higher expectations of their families, whether single parent or not, ought to play a part, though Sowell dismisses the idea that without parental involvement there is no hope for the child, insisting that the individual student can take charge of his or her life and achieve despite the family situation.[return][return]Excoriating the victimhood approach to education, Sowell laments that “the history of successful black schools has attracted virtually no interest from either historians or educators. That history does not advance any contemporary political agenda, though it might help advance the education of a whole generation of black students” (225). Far from blaming all educational problems of black students on racism, the usual liberal scapegoat, Sowell has no patience with such facile excuses and lays the blame squarely on the students themselves: “By and large, black students do not work as hard as white students, much less Asian students” (228). He goes on to blame a culture of non-achievement, comparing it to red-neck and lower-class whites and Asians who suffer from “the same counterproductive attitudes toward education” which are “just as self-defeating.” Failure is not restricted to any particular pigmentation or race, nor are the real reasons for such failure always unique to any particular race.[return][return]In a fine section of this chapter on education, Sowell highlights the views of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, documenting that their attitudes on educational expectations and other matters were much closer than the common politicized opinion today would have it. The necessary resources and exemplary individuals run rife throughout black history and experience. I would argue what is needed is for more people to hear and respect such scholars as Thomas Sowell, learn from them, and work together to chart a new path together into the future.[return][return]In his conclusion Sowell essentially challenges educational leaders and students “to work harder and abandon the counterproductive notion that seeking educational excellence is ‘acting white’” (244). He ends his essay on black education in a way that calls to mind Bill Cosby’s recent addresses wherein Cosby has said more studies are not needed. The problems are known. The black community is in crisis and needs to take action:[return][return] “Despite the heartening achievements of some black schools, which have repeatedly demonstrated what is possible even with children from low-income backgrounds, the general picture of the education of black students is bleak. Much of what is said–and not said–about the education of black students reflects the political context, rather than the educational facts. Whites walk on eggshells for fear of being called racists, while many blacks are preoccupied with protecting the image of black students, rather than protecting their future by telling the blunt truth. It is understandable that some people are concerned about image, about what in private life might be expressed as: “What will the neighbors think?” But, when your children are dying, you don’t worry about what the neighbors think” (245).[return][return]Though bleak, attitudes are changing, will continue to change, will, as Ward Connerly has remarked, take time to change, creating a new climate of expectations and performance, on all sides. The passage of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) registers such change. Neighbors of goodwill do exist, are distressed, worried, and concerned, willing to help, where they can, if allowed. It needs to be said much more often that 14% of black voters approved the proposal. They are people who want much of what Sowell discusses in terms of education for their children and community. These two essays ought to be read by anyone serious about assessing where we are after the passage of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, and where, together, we are all going from here.[return][return]Frederick Glaysher [return]http://www.fglaysher.com(less)

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Nov 02, 2010

Void lon iXaarii rated it

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I tend to follow experts in their fields... which often doesn't translate to other fields, as many people successful in one field turn out to be not that knowledgeable or skilled in another. Thomas Sowell is, for me, one of the few exceptions i know of. I Started reading his books because of his economics knowledge but i can so relate to his way of viewing the world that I can't stop following his books even when they're not directly in the field. Why? Because unlike many others he doesn't ...more

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Mar 12, 2010

Don Fox rated it

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Wow, what an achievement. Though a more accurate title might have been "Essays in Ethnology", "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" consists of six amazing essays, which collectively constitute the best book I've ever read. Every page presents startling, important, and little known facts that are apparently little known because they contradict the prevailing narrative about race and ethnicity. Did you know, for example, that:

* "...labor force participation rate...more

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Jan 28, 2011

Fred rated it

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An excellent book. He often makes points that, with less intelligence or support, I had been groping my way towards. Occasionally he dips into the bad Thomas of his political columns, where he seems more concerned about making meaningless partisan points than anything else. Moreover, some of the essays are more concerned about attacking certain popular misconceptions than really advancing our understanding. I can't particularly fault him for this, given how prevalent these misconceptions are...more

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Apr 13, 2010

Longanlon rated it

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Образът на типичния американски чернокож е добре познат на всички от телевизията и киното (а на американците е добре познат от улиците). Характерният диалектен говор, предизвикателното държание, обилната бижутерия и изобщо крещящ кич в облеклото и поведението…

Всичко това е характерно само за определен тип хора – по-голямата част от бедните чернокожи, живеещи в градските гета – но въпреки това, в последните десетилетния именно то се представя като “автентичната черна култура” на САЩ, ...moreОбразът на типичния американски чернокож е добре познат на всички от телевизията и киното (а на американците е добре познат от улиците). Характерният диалектен говор, предизвикателното държание, обилната бижутерия и изобщо крещящ кич в облеклото и поведението…

Всичко това е характерно само за определен тип хора – по-голямата част от бедните чернокожи, живеещи в градските гета – но въпреки това, в последните десетилетния именно то се представя като “автентичната черна култура” на САЩ, произлизаща от африканските корени на американските чернокожи. Едва ли не, само този вид чернокожи са “истинските” чернокожи, а останалите, нормалните човешки същества с образование и работа, само се правят на бели (acting white).

Бедността и престъпното поведение на гето-чернокожите пък, в модерния политически коректен свят, се дължат на робството и дискриминацията, а не на начина на живот и ценностите на тези хора.

Черният академичен изследовател Томас Соуъл обаче има някои сериозни възражения относно всички тези схващания.

В серия от 6 големи есета, в книгата си наречена “Черни селяндури и бели либерали”, той доказва как това, което в момента бива наричано “черна култура” всъщност няма нищо общо с Африка или чернокожите, а е запазената култура на американския Юг, която пък е привнесена преди повече от 300 г. от размирните райони по границите на Англия с Шотландия и Ирландия чрез масовата емиграция на хора от там – където вече отдавна е изчезнала.

Типичните за гето-чернокожите днес езикови конструкции и говор (използването на I be и He ain’t, вместо I am и He isn’t и много други), любовта към показност и кич в държание и облекло, лесно наранимата гордост и агресивността – всички тези белези са характерни точно за уелсците и ирландците от английските гранични области, а по-късно за големи части от южните щати, където огромната част от черните роби са живеели и където те са попили тази култура.

Тази “култура на гордостта”, както я наричат други автори, забелязали сходството и историческите й корени, има и други черти, особено важни в икономически и социален смисъл – приемане на предприемачеството, упоритата работа и образованието като маловажни дейности, под достойнството на истинския мъж, силно маскулинизиране на обществените отношения и силна обективизация на жените и т.н.

Всички тези характерности, в исторически библиографски план, са описвани многократно от автори, говорещи за белите южняци на САЩ – за техния мързел, нежелание да се развиват, склонност да инвестират доходите си в символи на статуса (скъпи дрехи, бижута), за провлачения им говор, популистичните и емоционални политици и проповедници на юга. Сравнението със сегашните гето-чернокожи е фрапиращо.

Накратко – робството и дискриминацията ли са виновни за сегашното незавидно икономическо и социално положение на голяма част от чернокожите в САЩ? Безспорно те имат голяма вина. Но с направените от автора описание на други култури със сходни проблеми, но много различни крайни резултати, чрез подробен анализ на робството като институция по света, чрез анализ на развитието на училищата за чернокожи и техните образователни методи и резултати още от създаването им в САЩ, изводът, който сам се налага е един:

Не толкова дискриминацията, колкото самозатворената и самоподхранващата се деструктивна култура е причина за проблемите на американското черно гето. И именно тези, които я подкрепят и славословят като “автентичната черна култура” допринасят много за това все повече чернокожи да я приемат и да не искат да се “правят на бели” (т.е. да ходят на училище, на работа, да третират жените си като човешки същества, а не предметна украса и т.н.).

Тази книга има много какво да ни научи за интеграцията на малцинствата у нас.(less)

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May 12, 2010

David Robins rated it

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Another excellent collection of essays. Eye-opening as usual - the title essay is especially enlightening: much of black culture that is negative actually comes from Southern whites which in turn came from border regions of England and Scotland: those areas have since improved their education, speech, manners, and so on, but the detrimental parts of their culture survives among poor blacks. Calling an interest in education "acting white" is an insult to the many black educational pione...more

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Jun 18, 2009

Devon rated it

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I thought this might turn into a ridiculous right wing rant, and it didn't take that long. The premise is interesting: basically that American ghetto culture - which has zero redeeming qualities in the mind of the author - is an adaptation of what Malcolm Gladwell calls the "culture of honor" and Sowell simply calls "redneck" culture. This social system originated with the Scotch-Irish immigrants to the American south and lived on in the Appalachians and other poor white a...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Steven Percifield rated it

A few years after reading "A conflict of Visions" by Sowell a friend of mine (who is African-American) recommended this book to me. We had been debating our individual impressions of racial relationships between black and white friends. I had made the comment that there were "archetypal motiffs" common to persons on both sides of the color line.

Although my friend agreed with me "...on average," he suggested that I read this book as it would give me a new p...more

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May 22, 2011

Rodney rated it

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I can say I found this book of 200+ pages long to read, but I mean this in a good way. The book was filled with so many facts that I found myself reading a chapter and then jumping on the internet to do further research. I love books that challenge your current thinking. Some of the things Dr. Sowell laid out are not clear cut, but there were many others where as they say.. "hit the nail on the head".

Dr. Sowell comes out swinging with haymakers and bombs as he unleashes ...more

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May 27, 2011

Anthony rated it

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Shelves: reviewed-books, books-i-own, political

Thomas Sowell is one of the best conservative authors that I have read. This was the first book by him that I read which is a collection of six essays dealing with various subjects such as slavery, race relations in the United States, and education. Given the fact that he is a black man, Sowell is able to speak more openly and frankly about race relations than white people are allowed, making his essays refreshingly non-politically correct and pro-Western Civilization.

Black Rednecks ...more

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Dec 01, 2010

Anthony rated it

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I would've made this book a five start, but found that some of the opening essays regarding crackers and the history of northern England dragged a bit.
What picked up this books for me where the essays on the history of African-American education in the United States, the history of middle man racism (racism against those who play a middle-man role in society) and the history of Germany and the impacts of Nazism of people's attitudes towards the German people.
Picking one of these in par...more

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Jul 08, 2008

Paul rated it

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Again, a great book written by Thomas Sowell. Sowell has chapters dealing with the question “Are Jews Generic?” (becomes a social study of “middleman” cultures including the Lebanese and Chinese in Southeast Asia, concluding that these groups tend more to value family ties, hard work, and education – thus their success – to the disdain of other, more lazy groups), “Germans in History” (Germans generally aren’t Nazis, focuses on their positive qualities), and Myths about Black Education (there ...more

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Jun 06, 2009

Robquarles rated it

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Very thought provoking and challenging to popular history but supported with good data and research. Six provocative essays ranging from slavery, to the Germans who were mandated to leave their homeland after WW2. Did you know that the word "aks" as in "you ought to aks me a question?" was originally used by white hillbillies of the Kentucky and Tennessee area? Sowells reveals simple truths like this in this book, that beg other questions.

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Jan 27, 2011

Rob Mahan rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

Presented in the form of six essays, this Dr. Sowell challenges many assumptions ... things we thought we knew ... about cultural, race and ethnic issues in America.

Backed up with claims of documented facts, Dr. Sowell certainly challenged my thinking on many of the issues he deals with in this book.

Dr. Thomas Sowell is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

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Jun 02, 2011

Kevin Farrell rated it

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Wow. Take a look at this book. Thomas Sowell is smart and a gifted writer. So you think you have everyone all figured out in this country (US)? This book may change your mind. No speculations here. Sowell does his homework and backs all of his conclusions with references.

Read this. I dare you. I double dog dare you.

Warning: it will make you think.

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Apr 16, 2011

Chris Hunt rated it

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I have not completed this book, as it is a book of essays. In what I've read, however, Sowell writes in his typical iconoclastic fashion, going behind the scenes to reveal the real reasons, for instance, of a major source of the problems in the black inner city. Sowell makes reasoned, informed arguments based on sound history and is unapologetic in his views.

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Jan 04, 2008

Skylar Burris rated it

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Recommends it for: Anyone who thinks liberal policies help minorities in the long run

Shelves: politics, economics, sociology

I admire Sowell's ability to look at the facts and to follow them where they lead; to recognize that agendas need to be discarded in order to examine the evidence and to behold the entire, complex picture. I admire his ability to let go of emotional, gut reactions to topics and examine them through a purely logical lens. He takes a penetrating, intellectual look at issues people often discuss in sweeping moral and emotional terms: slavery, affirmative action, culture, conquest, education, and mo...more

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Apr 27, 2011

Marlin rated it

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I've read the audio version of this three times in about six months. It is FULL of information and provoking ideas but it seems somewhat nebulous. I think that I need to settle down with print version in order to pull all of the ideas together in mind.

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Jan 13, 2010

Kevin Heldt rated it

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Okay, this guy is a stud. I love the rare academic who will actually shoot straight with you. This was a collection of 6 refreshingly incisive essays that systematically debunked many of the pet beliefs and agendas of today's intelligentsia.

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Apr 11, 2010

Jennifer rated it

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Thomas Sowell just has a way to see things that I really like. This book was interesting in how it traced slavery throughout history and around the world. He points to 1960s liberal policies as creating todays current black culture rather than slavery or any other reason or excuse used.

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Dec 03, 2010

Tee rated it

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This book dispels some stereotypes I had as well as some misconceptions formed by popular opinion. It's a good book to read (though the print is quite fine!) although not as easy to read as Dismantling America.

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Mar 02, 2011

JB Peterson rated it

· review of another edition

An eclectic conglomeration of policy, politics, race relations and other topics delivered in the author's easy to read, easy to understand, enlightening, thought provoking and entertaining style.

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Jul 24, 2009

Shane Anderson rated it

· review of another edition

This is a great must read for everyone. Thomas Sowell challenges assumptions and policies in society and government that claim to help minority groups which, in fact, harm them in the long run.

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Mar 24, 2008

Damon rated it

I don't know what side of the street Sowell walks on, and to be honest, I don't want to know. I do, however, like this book. It's exposure of modern myths and our P.C. methods of thinking really give you something to think and rethink. It boldly talks about Jews, slavery, and modern african-american ghetto culture in ways you just wouldn't hear anywhere else. You will find yourself wondering if you should believe him, or if you have been duped by the media, believing a contrived mythology of...more

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May 24, 2010

Ted Heitz rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: economic, culture-race

Where is his Nobel? Seriously, why isn't Sowell our first black president?

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Jan 09, 2010

Matt rated it

· review of another edition

Great collection of articles by one of today's great intellectuals.

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About Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social commentator, and author of dozens of books. He often writes from an economically laissez-faire perspective. He is currently a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In 1990, he won the Francis Boyer Award, presented by the American Enterprise Institute. In 2002 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal for prolific scholars...moreThomas Sowell is an American economist, social commentator, and author of dozens of books. He often writes from an economically laissez-faire perspective. He is currently a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In 1990, he won the Francis Boyer Award, presented by the American Enterprise Institute. In 2002 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal for prolific scholarship melding history, economics, and political science.

Sowell was born in North Carolina, where, he recounted in his autobiography, A Personal Odyssey, his encounters with Caucasians were so limited he didn't believe that "yellow" was a hair color. He moved to Harlem, New York City with his mother's sister (whom he believed was his mother); his father had died before he was born. Sowell went to Stuyvesant High School, but dropped out at 17 because of financial difficulties and a deteriorating home environment. He worked at various jobs to support himself, including in a machine shop and as a delivery man for Western Union. He applied to enter the Civil Service and was eventually accepted, moving to Washington DC. He was drafted in 1951, during the Korean War, and assigned to the US Marine Corps. Due to prior experience in photography, he worked in a photography unit.

After his discharge, Sowell passed the GED examination and enrolled at Howard University. He transfered to Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He received a Master of Arts in Economics from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Chicago. Sowell initially chose Columbia University because he wanted to study under George Stigler. After arriving at Columbia and learning that Stigler had moved to Chicago, he followed him there.

Sowell has taught Economics at Howard University, Cornell University, Brandeis University, and UCLA. Since 1980 he has been a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he holds a fellowship named after Rose and Milton Friedman.

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Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy

The Vision of the Anointed Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One

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