In this important book an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action investigating its actual consequences in the United States & in other countries where it has been in effect Evaluating his empirical data Thomas Sowell concludes that race preference programs worldwide have not met expectations & have often produced the opposite of what was originally intended A delight terse well-argued & utterly convincing-Economist Among contemporary economists & social theorists one of the most prolific intellectually independent & iconoclastic is Thomas Sowell Enormously learned wonderfully clear-headed he sees reality as it is & flinches at no truth Sowell's presentation of the data is instructive & illuminating-and disturbing-Carl Cohen Commentary Another brilliant bracing achievement by Thomas Sowell With characteristic lucidity erudition & depth Sowell examines the true effects of affirmative action around the globe This book is compelling important mind-opening-Amy Chua author of World on Fire How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred & Global Instability A masterpiece that deserves to be one of the most influential books of our time Any honest reader will be informed & enlightened-Donald Kagan Yale University A gem of a book A brilliant & learned analysis of the negative effects of racially preferential policies both in the United States & in several other countries around the world-Stephan Thernstrom Harvard University