Rituals of Blood: Consequences of Slavery in Two American Centuries

In Rituals of Blood, Orlando Patterson uses contemporary and historical examples to explore how far race relations have advanced in America. He argues that color is only one of several boundaries people use to distinguish themselves from others—one of many threads in a complex fabric of religion, sexuality, class, and gender. Patterson provides brilliant snapshots of the current state of race relations and advances a new model of ethnic relations that opens American society to a new and freer dialogue.