Can You Hear Me Now?

April 27, 2009
Having cemented himself as one of the foremost American thinkers on race, Dyson, the author of 16 books on a range of subjects from hip-hop to contemporary politics, compiles his most quotable aphorisms from speeches and articles of the last two decades. The book's topics include Barack Obama, the arts, gender, sports and music, as well as such abstract areas as justice and wisdom. The excerpts range from single sentences (e.g., “Spirituality makes religion behave”) to pithy paragraph meditations. Because of the brevity of excerpts, Dyson's pronouncements can seem vague, out of context and even trite; they don't do justice to his typically insightful and complex investigations. However, those familiar with his work may appreciate this compendium for showcasing Dyson's singular ability to draw on sources as disparate as Albert Camus, Oprah Winfrey and Louis Armstrong.