MSNBC political analyst and former staffer for Hillary Clinton, Zerlina Maxwell’s new book The End of White Politics: How to Heal our Political Divide challenge the narratives of “traditional politics” and explores our future political climate.
What We Know:
- Maxwell released her latest book on July 7, not knowing what the state of politics or society would be. She includes a thought-provoking perspective on the use of white privilege in the Democratic primary election and the emphasis on White voters in political campaigns – amongst other topics. In an exclusive interview with The Grio, Maxwell shared, “I had no idea what was going to happen, nor did I know when I started that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders would be the last two in the Democratic primary field that started with, like, this array of diversity: gender, and racial diversity.”
- According to the book’s summary, “The End of White Politics shows exactly how and why progressives can lean into identity politics, empowering marginalized groups, and uniting under a common vision that will benefit us all.” Maxwell points out that “the Pew Research Center predicts we’re going to be a majority people of color. White voters will be a minority of the electorate. That’s never happened.”
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 https://t.co/S08Ozmux21
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) December 11, 2020
- Making Time Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2020, they describe it as “Witty and piercing as she addresses everything from “Bernie Bros” to the enormous influence of billionaires.” Kirkus Review Magazine says Maxwell “outlines and defends her recommendations and strategies so thoroughly that the only possible dissent is a willful disregard for the future of not just the Democratic Party, but the future of all but the most privileged Americans.”
- Maya Harris, who worked with Maxwell on the Clinton campaign and is the sister to Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, writes, “In her classic truth-telling, no-holds-barred style, Zerlina flips the ‘identity politics’ debate on its head, laying out why Democrats should reject the notion that it’s a politics of social division, and instead embrace it as a bridge to social cohesion and inclusion.”
“The book underscores a powerful truth: centering the voices and experiences of those too long marginalized in our politics–including women of color and particularly black women–will not only strengthen our democracy, it will win elections,” she continued.
- Maxwell has also received some harsh reviews. Amazon user Holly Golightly said, “The book is too narrowly focused on the votes [of] Millennials and Generation Z and how they will bring about a new society.” She goes on to say, “I found the implicit ageism in the book disturbing. Some good points, but, overall a flawed book.”
From television to Twitter, Maxwell has been a voice to be reckoned with in the political world. Her new book seems to be no different. Never holding back on the truth of being a Black voter in America, Maxwell’s novel provides perspective to millions of American voters.
