Description
Back in print after more than a decade, the singular chronicle of life at the forefront of antiracist activism, with a new introduction and afterword by the author
“Mab Segrest’s book is extraordinary. It is a ‘political memoir’ but its language is poetic and its tone passionate. I started it with caution and finished it with awe and pleasure.”
—Howard Zinn
In 1994, Mab Segrest first explained how she “had become a woman haunted by the dead.” Against a backdrop of nine generations of her family’s history, Segrest explored her experiences in the 1980s as a white lesbian organizing against a virulent far-right movement in North Carolina.
Memoir of a Race Traitor became a classic text of white antiracist practice. bell hooks called it a “courageous and daring [example of] the reality that political solidarity, forged in struggle, can exist across differences.” Adrienne Rich wrote that it was “a unique document and thoroughly fascinating.” Juxtaposing childhood memories with contemporary events, Segrest described her journey into the heart of her culture, finally veering from its trajectory of violence toward hope and renewal. Now, amid our current national crisis driven by an increasingly apocalyptic white supremacist movement, Segrest returns with an updated edition of her classic book. With a new introduction and afterword that explore what has transpired with the far right since its publication, the book brings us into the age of Trump—and to what can and must be done.
Called “a true delight” and a “must-read” (Minnesota Review), Memoir of a Race Traitor is an inspiring and politically potent book. With brand-new power and relevance in 2019, this is a book that far transcends its genre.
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Bestselling cult classic: This book was the biggest seller for South End Press, who struggled to keep enough copies in print to meet the demand. Although concrete sales numbers are lost to time, it is still considered a key text of white studies and anti-racist studies.
Pent-up demand: As activist groups and thinkers arise to take on a fresh wave of fascism in America, the clamor to get this book back in print has risen. Although out of print, it is still getting top new five-star reviews on Goodreads and Librarything, and on popular lists on Goodreads such as “Books White People Need to Read” with over a thousand subscribers.
High-profile foreword: We will solicit a new foreword by Claudia Rankine or another equally prominent and poetic Black thinker.
New introduction from the author: will be extensive and thoughtful, and will be an excellent serial placement.
Tie-in to new title: The publication of this book along with a major new book, Administrations of Lunacy, will launch Segrest back into the public discourse, which has sorely missed her, and she stands ready to talk about the experiences remembered in this book to a new audience.
