The writing is clear and straightforward, and the variety and quality of sources is outstanding. In fact, one of the few flaws in this book, and I'm being nitpicky here, is that some passages resemble a literature review in an academic paper. That said, this isn't a book that invites the start of an argument about the role of racism in shaping this country; this is a book that cuts to the root of racism, traces it from slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation and brings it all the way to today with unblinking honesty and facts. The result is a hard-hitting narrative that exposes the rotten core of this country, a core that has been affected by bigotry and xenophobia every step of the way.

This liberal astigmatism — our belief that history is a story of racial progress, and our faith in our own empathy — makes Eduardo Porter’s American Poison a tough read. It is a learned, well-written but relentless survey of social science studies on the racial polarization, animosity and social fragmentation of American life. A black or Hispanic American reader is likely to finish Porter’s summary of the evidence and say, 'So what else is new?' For a white liberal, the book leaves many an illusion in tatters.

Economics journalist Porter packs an enormous amount of information into this powerful treatise.

...an anguished and incisive treatise on how racism has contributed to 21st-century America’s economic and social decline.

The author capably pulls the strands together to demonstrate one of the narrative’s most important ideas: how the U.S. lacks a true safety net, not just for people of color, but also for lower-income whites.