A critique of the white American class structure argues that the paths of social mobility that once advanced the nation are now serving to further isolate an elite upper class while enforcing a growing and resentful white underclass.

For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she dearly wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn't understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one...

"Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped "da Man" in the 1960s by hopping a train. He then spends 18 homeless years on the streets of Dallas until he meets Deborah. Her husband, Ron, an international art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani suits and art-collecting millionaires is uncomfortable with Denver. Then the story takes a devasting twist when Deborah discovers she has cancer. Will Ron embrace his...