Working from the premise that the white race has been socially constructed, this volume is a call for the disruption of white conformity and the formation of a New Abolitionism to dissolve it. In a time when white supremicist thinking seems to be gaining momentum, this text brings together voices ranging from tenured university professors to skinheads and prison inmates to discuss the "white question" in America. Through popular culture, current events, history and personal life stories, the essays analyze the forces that hold the white race together - and those that promise to tear it apart. When a critical mass of people come together who, though they look white, have ceased to act white, the white race, so the text argues, will undergo fission and former whites will be able to take part in building a new human community.

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For over forty years, John Garvey was the "ballast" of Commonweal magazine. His award-winning essays and consistently notable columns revealed not only his acuity and alacrity, but his uncommon spiritual insight. These in turn provided momentum and substance for whatever followed in an issue of the magazine because Garvey never hesitated to wrestle with some of the most challenging and intractable topics of the day, and did so with a rich pastoral sensitivity, and a refreshing and rare intelligence. Only Wonder Comprehends gleans from John Garvey's many contributions to Commonweal that reflect his spiritual depth and deep appreciation of history, politics, theology, and culture. Steeped in the Christian tradition, Garvey loved to write and, in return, his readers relished what he wrote. It is hoped that this collection of his writings from Commonweal will inspire readers to cultivate a similar sense of attentiveness and commitment, for as the author himself observed, "Religious traditions are meant to transform us, not to affirm us as we are."