Author Ellis Cose (l) with childhood buddy Verdeen White of Earth White and
Fire
Since 1993, Ellis Cose has served as contributing editor and columnist for Newsweek magazine. Cose is the author of several books, including the best-selling The Rage of a Privileged Class and The Envy of the World. He is also the author of Beyond Brown v. Board: The Final Battle for Excellence in American Education, a report to the Rockefeller Foundation on the legacy of the historic U.S. Supreme Court desegregation decision. His most recent book, Bone to Pick [2005], is a wide-ranging look at a number of societies—the United States, Ghana, South Africa, East Timor, and Peru among them—and their ways of coping with cruelty and pain. He was previously chairman of the editorial board of the New York Daily News and president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Journalism Education.
Cose has appeared on The Today Show, Nightline, Dateline, ABC Evening News, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, CNN's Talk Back Live, and a variety of other nationally televised and local programs. Cose has received fellowships or individual grants from the Ford Foundation, The Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, and numerous journalism awards—including the University of Missouri medal for career excellence and distinguished service in journalism, two Clarion awards, and four National Association of Black Journalists first place awards (for commentary and for magazine writing). In 2004 Cose was named the first recipient of the newly inaugurated annual Vision Award from the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. In 2006 he won a Unity award for commentary and also shared in a first place award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
A Chicago native, Cose is a graduate of the University of Illinois
(Chicago) and holds a master's degree in Science, Technology and Public
Policy from George Washington University. He is married to Lee Llambelis, a
former Manhattan assistant district attorney who is legal director for the
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. He has a daughter, Elisa
Maria.
The
End of Anger: A New Generation’s Take on Race and Rage
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Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Ecco (May 31, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061998559
ISBN-13: 978-0061998553
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
From a venerated and bestselling voice on American life comes a
contemporary look at the decline of black rage; the demise of white guilt;
and the intergenerational shifts in how blacks and whites view, and interact
with, each other
In the heady aftermath of President Obama's election, conventional wisdom
suggested that the bitter, angry, and destructive elements of discrimination
were ebbing at last and America was becoming a postracial nation. But with
this dawning age that promised so much came shifting demographics and a
newfound seat of rage in the polarizing Tea Party movement, even as black
optimism gained ground, giving rise to questions about assumed truths
concerning race in America.
Combining the talents earned from a lifetime in journalism with the insights
and thoughtfulness of a close observer of the American experience, renowned
author Ellis Cose offers a fresh, original appraisal of our nation at this
extraordinary time, tracking the diminishment of black anger and
investigating the "generational shifting of the American mind." Weaving
material from myriad interviews as well as two large and ambitious surveys
that he conducted—one of black Harvard MBAs and the other of graduates of A
Better Chance, a program offering elite educational opportunities to
thousands of young people of color since 1963—Cose offers an invaluable
portrait of contemporary America that attempts to make sense of what a
people do when the dream, for some, is finally within reach as one
historical era ends and another begins.
In short, The End of Anger is not just about blacks but about America—its
past and its hoped-for future—and may well be the most important book
dealing with race to be published in recent decades.
Bone
to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge
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by Ellis Cose
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743470672
ISBN-13: 978-0743470674
Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
Read an Excerpt from This Book
In a world riven by conflict, reconciliation is not always possible --
but it offers one of the few paths to peace for a troubled nation or a
troubled soul. In Bone to Pick, bestselling author and Newsweek
editor Ellis Cose offers a provocative and wide-ranging discussion of the
power of reconciliation, the efficacy of revenge, and the possibility of
forgiveness.
People increasingly are searching for ways to put the demons of the past to
rest. That search has led parents to seek out the murderers of their
children and torture victims to confront their former tormentors. In a
narrative drawing on the personal and dramatic stories of people from Texas
to East Timor, Cose explores the limits and the promise of those encounters.
Bone to Pick is not only the story of victims who have found peace
through confronting the source of their pain; it is also a profound
meditation on how the past shapes the present, and how history's wounds,
left unattended, can fester for generations. Time does not heal all, Cose
points out. Memories and anger can linger long beyond a human lifespan. The
descendants of Holocaust survivors and African slaves alike feel the effects
of their forebears' pain -- and in some cases are still demanding
restitution.
What is behind the movement for reparations? Why are
truth-and-reconciliation commissions sprouting all over the world? Why are
old wars being refought and old wounds being reopened? In Bone to Pick,
Ellis Cose provides a moving and nuanced guide to such questions as he
points the way toward a more harmonious world.
The
Envy of the World: On Being a Black Man in America
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Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press (January 7, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 074342817X
ISBN-13: 978-0743428170
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
With a compassionate eloquence reminiscent of James Baldwin's Letter to My
Nephew, Ellis Cose presents a realistic examination of the challenges facing
black men in modern America.
Black men have never had more opportunity for success than today -- yet, as
bestselling author Cose puts it, "We are watching the largest group of black
males in history stumbling through life with a ball and chain." Add to that
the ravages of AIDS, murder, poverty, illiteracy, and the widening gap
separating the black "elite" from the "underclass," and the result is a
paralyzing pessimism. But even as Cose acknowledges the obstacles that
confront black men, he refuses to accept them as reasons for giving up;
instead he rails against the destructive attitude that has made academic
achievement a source of shame instead of pride in many black communities --
and outlines steps black males can take to enhance their odds for success.
With insightful anecdotes about a broad range of black men from all walks of
life, Cose delivers a warning of the vast tragedy that is wasted black
potential, and a call to arms that can enable black men to reclaim their
destiny in America.
The
Rage of a Privileged Class: Why Do Prosperous Blacks Still Have the Blues?
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Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (December 2, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060925949
ISBN-13: 978-0060925949
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
"A disciplined, graceful exposition of a neglected aspect of the subject of
race in America." --New York Times Book Review
A controversial and widely heralded look at the race-related pain and anger
felt by the most respected, best educated, and wealthiest members of the
black community.
The
Best Defense
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Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: HarperTorch (August 4, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006093087X
ISBN-13: 978-0060930875
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.9 x 1.3 inches
Justice Isn't Always Black and White
Cutthroat defense attorney and rising celebrity Felicia Fontaine is about to
tackle her biggest--and seemingly most unwinnable--case yet, defending a
white businessman accused of killing an office rival, a Hispanic man
promoted over him. With her reputation and confidence on the line, the
ever-savvy Felicia needs to watch her every step to successfully get through
this controversial case dubbed the "Affirmative Action Murder" by a
salacious press. She won't get any breaks from the prosecution, though, for
the DA is none other than her toughest adversary, and former flame, Mario
Santiago, a smart, ethical professional who'll do what it takes--even if it
means risking his new marriage--to win a conviction.
Color-Blind:
Seeing Beyond Race in a Race-Obsessed World
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 7, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060928875
ISBN-13: 978-0060928872
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
Is a truly race-netrual 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? In this penetrating and provocative book, Ellis
Cose probes the depths of the American mind and exposes the contradictions,
fears, hopes and illusions embedded in our complicated perceptions of race.
Looking beyond the platitudes and pronouncements that tend to distort
reality rather than illuminate it, Cose offers a visionary analysis of the
steps we must take if we are serious about finding a true resolution to the
thorny problem of race in America.
At a time when Colin Powell is being discussed as a possible
vice-presidential candidate for the Republican party, a growing segment of
the population is asking whether racial prejudice has lost its power. But
not so fast: In this startling, sharply insightful, and eye-opening book,
Ellis Cose trains his practiced eye on the murky waters of race in America
and looks at the acute differences, even hostility, in our perceptions of
race exposed by the 0. J. Simpson trial, not to mention the controversial
content of The Bell Curve. In doing so he addresses whether it is possible
for the United States to simply wipe the racial slate clean and surmount its
racist past, or if color blindness may be just another name for denial.
In a world where it is often believed that lighter skin means higher status,
money is the great equalizer, and education will set you free, Color-Blind
brilliantly reveals why race may be a larger-and smaller-issue than many
people think. With the keen observational powers of a professional
journalist and the concrete solutions of a true visionary, Ellis Cose
delivers his most powerful and important book to date.
A Man's World: How Real Is Male Privilege - And
How High Is Its Price?
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Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins; 1st edition (June 1, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060172061
ISBN-13: 978-0060172060
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
The author reports on the discontent and confusion men are feeling as
changing gender roles and expectations challenge the very core of male
identity. The author makes clear that white men are the only males feeling
vulnerable and off balance. Black men are considered a pathologically
dangerous and endangered species. But, many men regardless of race or
ethnicity fear that their rights and roles are shrinking before their eyes.
Killing Affirmative Action: Would it Really Result in a Better, More Perfect Union?
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Down Document from Publisher
As the publishers of KILLING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: Would it really result
in a better, more perfect Union?, we’re pleased to bring you this special
78-page report by Ellis Cose. This work is an excellent example of the kind
of in-depth, contextual reporting that stimulates productive public debate
about complex social and political questions.
Related Links
Official Website
http://elliscose.com/
