Really fascinating, and very well researched. Not much of a narrative though, so the story can drag a bit at times. But still - the details outlining de jure segregation on the part of government is stunning.

one of those books everyone should read

A pretty thorough case for how segregation in American cities is a result of intentional government policies and not just the aggregation of private prejudices.

This book is extremely eye-opening, and infuriating. I didn't know anything about 5he subject matter here, and now that I have read this, I am justifiably appalled.

I think this is a must read for anyone and everyone. I had a feeling that segregated neighborhoods were not as 'de facto' as it's generally lead to believe.. but to now understand the full depth that the government had a hand in drawing clear lines of who should live where had me appalled and shocked. The author does an amazing job at laying out ALL OF THE FACTS, the man has over 100 pages of references. Any question I had during this book, the author had an answer for. He covered it all, and left no room for someone to be like.. "Well are you sure this is how it happened?" or "Yah, I could see that in the south, but that wasn't happening everywhere" or "Yah that happened way back in the day, but I'm sure that didn't happen later on." He left no stone unturned, and ensured that the facts weren't overshadowed by opinion or biases. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was that it was difficult to read and process at points. It was a lot of laws, so I caught myself having to reread things at points to fully understand what was going on.

This was a difficult read. Not only for it's dense material (there is over 80 pages of notes), but also for the emotional toll it took on me. I'm not so ignorant to think that segregation was the result of people wanting to be with "their own". But I was definitely shocked at the extent our government developed policies and laws that kept African Americans out of white neighborhoods. This book should be required reading.

In this essential book, the author clearly illustrates the difference between de facto segregation (what most whites think it is - a matter of preference and money) and de jure segregation (what it really is - the actual laws upon laws around the country and at every level of government that have been enacted to keep America segregated). This is not just a problem of inner cities. It’s about the widespread, systemic racism that has made it extremely difficult for generations of citizens to escape the cycle of poverty by building generational wealth. Exhaustively researched and documented, this book shone a spotlight on the huge gaps in my supposedly first-class education. It should be required reading. By the end of the book, I was upset, angry, and in tears. I have not read as cogent an intellectual argument for reparations as The Color of Law.

This should be a mandatory book to read for schools. 80% of this book I was never taught and now I am gracious I have educated myself.

One of the most important books on American racism one can find. Rothstein gives a persuasive accounting of the systematic exclusion of black families from the engine of middle class American prosperity of the last century - homeownership. His historical work is fantastic and his argument for restitution is persuasive (though not perfect).

I didn’t really find myself getting into it until almost the end. There was a lot of facts that seem to spring out of nowhere and could be very confusing in their sequence. This book also lacked anecdotal tales so while I understood what was happening to the population as a whole, I couldn’t feel it in my heart at the individual level if that makes sense. This is obviously a necessary topic, but I guess I will have to keep looking for it approached in a more digestible way.

A quick trip through the history of housing and race-based discrimination. Due to the briefness of the book, I felt the statistics and reflections on the future were lacking at times, but still a useful introduction to property law and racism

This book may have been very dry and repetitive in the manner of writing but it’s also insightful in its subject matter, showing the myriad ways in which the federal, state and local governments used their laws explicitly and also provided cover for private enterprises, to discriminate against Black people when it came to housing, ensuring that they would never have the generational equity which had led to the rise of the white middle class, also leading to the current state of segregated housing across most urban centers in the country. The book covers most regions of the country, across the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, across party lines - and that’s what makes this jaw dropping for someone pretty ignorant about this issue like me - how systemic and essentially legal all of this was and how the white supremacist governments used all their power to relegate an entire race of people to be second class citizens. As the author mentions, it’s not easy to reverse the damage caused by generations of this discrimination but it still falls on the current politicians and people to try, and the first step would ideally be to understand and accept this part of history.

The way that this was written was honestly so easy to read and digest, it was fantastic to read something so dang informative and educational in such a chill style. Content wise... they really did that and there has never been a good US president and that's all I'm willing to say on that! Also, the book finished with some very interesting and also very DOABLE ideas for legislation that would act as a form of housing-reparations that I think we should all consider (enact).

It's one thing to know about red-lining in the abstract but reading about it in depth is rage-inducing. This book made me want to throw it across the room every few pages. Not because of the writing but because of the subject matter. Rothstein's writing is clear and engrossing. He explains the government's role in preventing Black people from buying homes with government-backed loans and thereby making homeownership very difficult which lead to a loss of generational wealth like that accumulated by white people during the same period.

Read as part of a "Milwaukee Reads" initiative and to facilitate a book discussion at the library I work at. The author's thesis statement, that residential segregation is mainly de jure, not de facto, in large part due to government(s) actively legislating it, was thoroughly researched and and well-argued. There is a brief section on the future, and what can possibly be done, but I didn't leave the book feeling optimistic in any way. My most important take-away was the author's assertion that we need to be teaching this matter in schools, so our youth will not continue to grow up thinking poverty, social hierarchy, etc. is solely a choice. Many readers will find the book itself dry, full of legalese, and dense. I was annoyed that the book was end-noted, not foot-noted, and that the citations were not clearly marked in the text. I understand this is a publishing technique to not scare away readers, but come on. The author did include a few * marked footnotes, so why not just be consistent?

An extremely enlightening book covering the housing facet of systemic racism in the U.S. I’m thankful for him taking the time to write this as I was never taught most of this and it helps answers a lot of questions I had growing up in a major city. My only wish is he had dedicated a bit of writing to what drove the racist claim: that integration led to lower property values. This was the fundamental underpinning of every racist zoning effort since Reconstruction that he cites so I felt it deserved a bit more explanation as to where it came from (aside from the brief footnote halfway through the book). Nonetheless, I believe anyone committed to understanding and improving equality in the U.S. should read this book. It’s well-researched, fair in its indictment of political leaders in all parties, and clear in how a century of racist housing regulations has created an impossible and untenable situation for the American Black community.

This book illustrates the tactics used to facilitate systemic racism for decades. Don’t believe the false narrative that someone can get ahead through hard work and gumption alone. Entire systems were in place for decades to hold back generations of African Americans — from real estate practices to housing associations, to urban renewal efforts. This book lays those tactics out, in shameful detail.

Very intresting and eye-opening book! I had no idea about most of the things mentioned in it. I have to say that at times, it does get a little repeatitive and since it is non-fiction, I found it easier to read it slowly. I think it's a book, that everyone intrested in racism and social justice should read, regardless of their nationality (American or not)