What Black People Should Do Now

In these 23 essays--eight of which are reprinted from the Washington Post , Los Angeles Times and several journals--Wiley ( Why Black People Tend to Shout ) offers a vigorous, mordant perspective on the African American experience. A Memphis-born devotee of Malcolm X, he muses on how his son, who attends a well-integrated public ``magnet'' school, will learn the sad lessons of racial division. With powerful irony, the author defends black men who, he argues, are under siege in most quarters, and he takes particular note of Magic Johnson (``the HIV virus was doing what I believed it was made to do--destroy . . . especially the Black man) and Mike Tyson (``he is slowly being destroyed for the pleasure and leisure of voyeurs''). In discussing the Rodney King case, Wiley deftly contrasts the responses of the Today Show 's co-anchors: ``a White woman named Katherine Couric, and a Black man named Bryant Gumbel, had different reactions, where normally they seem to get along like Siamese twins.'' His points are thoughtful and challenging, and this collection should disprove at least one lingering saw that Wiley decries: ``Black people don't buy books. Let's call this a given among White people.'' (Oct.)