February 20, 2002

Of all the horrors associated with this country's racial struggles, lynching stands apart as the most savage and macabre phenomenon. And in many cases it's so unthinkable that we choose, in fact, not to think about it, leaving it, instead as a paragraph or two in a textbook. Philip Dray, a professor of African-American History at the New School, has written a powerful new book entitled At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America (Random House, hd. $35.00), in which he traces the history of this practice - its sources, methods, judicial response. Of foremost interest to him, however, is the social environment which allowed this behavior to flourish. At the depths of this study, all of humanity is implicated. Early reviews praise Dray's thorough research, his unflinching eye, and the lengths to which he pursues this overlooked moral outrage.

Philip Dray will sign and speak at Off Square Books on Wednesday, February 20. Signing at 5 p.m., discussion at 5:30.