Harvard professor Cornel West issues "a kind of wake-up call to each of us,"asserting that "Black America sits on the brink of collective disaster." In this collection of eight question-and-answer interviews, West seeks ideas for inspiring and reinvigorating black America. Actor-singer Harry Belafonte talks about his influences; politician Bill Bradley urges each of us to confront race in our daily lives; poet Maya Angelou makes the point that "one other word for hope is love"; and trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis discusses both music and the need to rebuild black communities. The book is a project of the Obsidian Society, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to improving conditions for black Americans. Profits from the book will benefit the organization.