Letters Across the Divide: Two Friends Explore Racism, Friendship, and Faith

by David A. Anderson, Brent Zuercher

A black minister and a white businessman candidly discuss the obstacles, stereotypes, and sins that inhibit interracial reconciliation. Provocative and honest.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Race, Faith

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Dr. David Anderson, founder and President of the BridgeLeader Network (BLN), is one of the world’s leading authorities on building bridges across the deep divides of race, faith, culture and wealth. His work has brought hope and healing to communities, families and people in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Reviews

[Jennifer Titan's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racism 101. Honest letters between a white business man and a black pastor. We did it as a study in our predominantly white church. Thoughtful

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The USA needs this book and the World needs more like it.

The United States of America needs healing and this book is helpful in understanding part of depth of the often silent racial divide between blacks and whites in the US. A must read for those coming to minister to the USA form outside the USA.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written over the course of the mid-90s, in the light of Rodney King, the LA riots, OJ Simpson, the Rwanda genocide, etc. this book is an excellent dialogue between the two authors who aren't afraid to get to the "nitty gritty" and discuss racial issues in depth and with honesty.

[Mike Kilcrease · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about some topics that I might be afraid to ask myself. This was a great way to bridge a topic that might be considered taboo for many people.

[Lukas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Melinda Abney Kaiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent dialogue-type look at race and racism in post-civil-rights-movement America. The book grew out of letters the authors wrote to one another discussing their views of race and especially how their own views and experiences of race color their everyday lives. For instance, given the exact same facts, their views and experience of race result in very different interpretation of those same facts.

For me reading this book was enhanced by the fact that every couple chapters my multi-racial book group, made up of members of majority black and majority white churches linked by a common Wesleyan (Methodist Episcopal) heritage. Discussing the authors' divergent experiences, interpretations, and foundational views and comparing and contrasting with those of our book group's members was invaluable.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking to understand how race infuses our everyday lives, even in situations that seemingly have nothing to do with race. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book with a group of diverse friends or acquaintances interested in healing the racial divide in America.

[Thomas Christianson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A valuable and important topic: seeking cultural reconciliation in America. My issue with this book was essentially that I did not at all relate to the white guy (I'm white, btw). He's a white collar man who has basically avoided interaction with most black Americans and (it seems to me) willfully ignored the widespread and orchestrated disadvantages placed upon black people in this country - both historically and contemporarily. I say this because if you live in Chicago and aren't aware of them, you must be working fairly diligently to avoid seeing these issues.

I think any white person who is coming from this place could find this conversation valuable. For the rest of us, reading books like The New Jim Crow and Ghettoside will be a much more valuable exercise.

[Drick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two friends, one white and one black share a series of letters around issues of race and reconciliation. Even if some of the questions and answers miss the mark, which in my view they do, the dialogue between Brent and David is an example of honest questions and answers about what it means to be black and white in America. While I appreciate the honesty, my fear is that some people will take their dialogue to the definitive word on Christian race relations; that would be asking this book to do more than it can deliver. Read it for an example of honest dialogue and you will learn a lot.

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The greatest value of this book is that is an open, honest dialogue between two Christians who are close personal friends--one black, one white--about race and racism. It gave me some insights--why many blacks insist on being called African-Americans, for example. It saddened me to hear how pervasive the black man feels racism still is in this country, but it encouraged me that they agree the responses for Christian have to be repentance and forgiveness on both "sides" (though I hesitate to use that word because it emphasizes division).

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book on racial reconciliation was a series of letters between two friends, one and one white. It was a very inciteful and challenging. The letters were written before 2001 when the book was published. I was really challenged by it not to unfairly stereotype people by race. All the black people that I know, I really like. I was challenged not to unfairly stereotype those I don't.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brutally honest dialogue between two brothers in Christ. I wish all of us could have this experience. They caution us not to live vicariously, but to learn from their model. Awesome. Things are by no means hashed out by the end of the book, but it's an awesome start to crossing the divide and tackling some of the thorniest issues in America and the Christian church.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't very impressed with this book. It does cover a very important topic and they took an interesting approach, but I felt that the conversation had a stiff and staged feel to it. They seemed to avoid scratching deep enough at some points and I felt some of it was a bit patronizing.

[Jonathan]

None

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dialog between two friends/pastors on racial reconciliation, insightful and thought provoking, relevant look at addressing racism at the relational level. Quick read.