This book by longtime Arkansas writer Grif Stockley describes the ways that race has been at the center of much of the state's formation and image since its founding.

The subject of race is a passion for Stockley, who was raised in Marianna, Ark. Influenced by the idealism of the Kennedy era but not substantially involved in the Civil Rights movement, Stockley began to question the status quo in earnest after a stint in the Peace Corps overseas.

Stockley began working on the manuscript in 1976. He sought to bring to life the voices of both black and white, those who have both studied and lived the racial experience in Arkansas. The book includes the work of historians and primary source materials, along with stories from authors as diverse as Maya Angelou and E. Lynn Harris.

Topics range from slavery to the Central High Crisis of 1957 to lesser-known events, such as the Elaine Race Massacre of 1919, and the commonplace attitudes found every day in newspaper reports and speeches. Adam Green, author of Selling the Race: Culture and Community in Black Chicago: 1940-1955, calls the book "an important and useful contribution to the literature on Arkansas history and to general readers elsewhere."

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