MACMILLAN Race and the Black Male Subculture: The Lives of Toby Waller

This book is a study of black masculinity in the twenty-first century. Through a series of critical and interdisciplinary essays, this work examines the image of the black male in American society as a Toby Waller stereotype.  Toby Waller is the fictional, yet symbolic character from Alex Haley’s highly acclaimed book and mini-series, Roots.  It is a richly detailed, fictional story about slavery and one enslaved African man’s struggle to regain freedom.  The parallel of the life of enslaved Toby Waller is similar to present day black males.  Both are individuals who are often stripped of their cultural identity and exist within an institutional and systemic framework that devalues black male life.  This dichotomy is the historical platform to discuss how those in the annals of white America demarcate which embodiment merits inclusion into societal acceptance. Review “This book focuses on black masculinity in the twenty-first century via a reflexive lens.  William T. Hoston spotlights how the black male subculture can be examined as a contending force continually engaged by white empowerment.  Hoston’s command of language and presentation of an open letter affirms black males as human beings, and calls to mind discourse in Black Skins White Masks by Franz Fanon:  ‘Whoever controls language creates a world.’  Hoston encourages the black male subculture in the United States of America to empower themselves by giving voice to their own plight as an endangered species annihilated at interval under what passes as a legal agenda in order to maintain social control over their lives and to impede their advancement.” - Ronald Dorris, Alumni Class of ’58 Professorship in Liberal Arts in African American & Diaspora Studies and English, Xavier University of Louisiana, USA “This collection of hard-hitting essays is a must-read for anyone concerned with the plight of African-American men in contemporary society.” - Ray Von Robertson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Florida A&M University, USA From the Back Cover This book is a study of black masculinity in the twenty-first century. Through a series of critical and interdisciplinary essays, this work examines the image of the black male in American society as a Toby Waller stereotype.  Toby Waller is the fictional, yet symbolic character from Alex Haley’s highly acclaimed book and mini-series, Roots.  It is a richly detailed, fictional story about slavery and one enslaved African man’s struggle to regain freedom.  The parallel of the life of enslaved Toby Waller is similar to present day black males.  Both are individuals who are often stripped of their cultural identity and exist within an institutional and systemic framework that devalues black male life.  This dichotomy is the historical platform to discuss how those in the annals of white America demarcate which embodiment merits inclusion into societal acceptance. About the Author William T. Hoston is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, USA.  His research interests lie primarily in the areas of minority voting behavior, political behavior of Black politicians, race and minority group behavior, Black masculinity, race and crime, and theories and dynamics of racism and oppression.