--- product_id: 113589364 title: "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism" price: "VT10389" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/113589364-sundown-towns-a-hidden-dimension-of-american-racism store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism **Price:** VT10389 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism - **How much does it cost?** VT10389 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/113589364-sundown-towns-a-hidden-dimension-of-american-racism) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "Powerful and important . . . an instant classic." ― The Washington Post Book World The award-winning look at an ugly aspect of American racism by the bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me , reissued with a new preface by the author In this groundbreaking work, sociologist James W. Loewen, author of the classic bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, brings to light decades of hidden racial exclusion in America. In a provocative, sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, Loewen uncovers the thousands of "sundown towns"―almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks weren't welcome―that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South. Written with Loewen's trademark honesty and thoroughness, Sundown Towns won the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist , and launched a nationwide online effort to track down and catalog sundown towns across America. In a new preface, Loewen puts this history in the context of current controversies around white supremacy and the Black Lives Matter movement. He revisits sundown towns and finds the number way down, but with notable exceptions in exclusive all-white suburbs such as Kenilworth, Illinois, which as of 2010 had not a single black household. And, although many former sundown towns are now integrated, they often face "second-generation sundown town issues," such as in Ferguson, Missouri, a former sundown town that is now majority black, but with a majority-white police force. Review: A must read for anyone interested in understanding the mechanics and mechanisms of white supremacy and racism in America - Fantastic, eyeopening and majestic book!! A must read for anyone who is interested in understanding the mechanics and mechanisms of white supremacy, race, and racism in American society, and how they influence our culture, society and economy and everyday aspects of our lives. Do you believe we are making racial progress, yet work at a job or live in a suburb, town or area where everyone looks like you? Do you wonder why people who don't look like you live clustered together on the "other" side of town or another part of the state? Do you believe this is a naturally occurring phenomenon or just how the demographics have played out? If so, you might be surprised to learn that this seemingly "natural" order of things is largely the result of a long active history of purposeful exclusionary practices against non-whites (mainly black people) in cities, suburban and rural communities all across the country. You might even be more surprised to learn that the country was more diverse and less exclusionary in the 1870-1880s than it is today! James Loewen does a masterful job of revealing pervasive but "hidden" history of racial exclusion and the ways it works in our segregated society, and opening pathways for understanding many of its negative costs, legacies and consequences to our country, our society and its people. If you are interested in understanding how we can keep our country competitive and viable in the 21st century and leave both a positive situation and legacy for subsequent generations I highly suggest that you read this book. Review: Great book - worth a read for anyone who really wants to understand more about race in the US - In 1968, my family moved from Queens to Great Neck, a suburb of NY - one of the only NY suburbs at the time that allowed black people to own houses (as a largely Jewish suburb, it accepted us, because they also had been rejected from most suburbs in NY.) So I knew very personally what happened in the suburban US around redlining, and various other tactics, some quite violent, to keep non-whites from living in them. In 2008, I decided to leave Oakland, and move to Sonoma County, a nice, bucolic rural area, which is not at all diverse. I've lived in other rural areas, also not diverse. I asked myself, why is it that there are so few black or interracial rural or semi-rural communities? I thought perhaps it was because that's not where the jobs are. Or that's just how the demographics played out. What I learned from reading this book made me realize I should have taken the lesson from my youth - there was an active, purposeful purge of non-whites from rural communities all over the country, and policies to keep them away. Did you know there were blacks in every county in Montana at one point? There were significant populations of african-americans in small rural communities all over the US prior to 1900. This book is a great historic overview of what happened to those communities, and how the suburban US was formed to specifically exclude blacks, and often also Jews and others as well. It's extremely well researched, evenhanded, and is a worthy companion to helping to understand the issues that plague us today. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history and social justice. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #151,471 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #125 in Discrimination & Racism #195 in African American Demographic Studies (Books) #558 in Sociology Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,203 Reviews | ## Images ![Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ig-nzO3HL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for anyone interested in understanding the mechanics and mechanisms of white supremacy and racism in America *by J***. on August 29, 2015* Fantastic, eyeopening and majestic book!! A must read for anyone who is interested in understanding the mechanics and mechanisms of white supremacy, race, and racism in American society, and how they influence our culture, society and economy and everyday aspects of our lives. Do you believe we are making racial progress, yet work at a job or live in a suburb, town or area where everyone looks like you? Do you wonder why people who don't look like you live clustered together on the "other" side of town or another part of the state? Do you believe this is a naturally occurring phenomenon or just how the demographics have played out? If so, you might be surprised to learn that this seemingly "natural" order of things is largely the result of a long active history of purposeful exclusionary practices against non-whites (mainly black people) in cities, suburban and rural communities all across the country. You might even be more surprised to learn that the country was more diverse and less exclusionary in the 1870-1880s than it is today! James Loewen does a masterful job of revealing pervasive but "hidden" history of racial exclusion and the ways it works in our segregated society, and opening pathways for understanding many of its negative costs, legacies and consequences to our country, our society and its people. If you are interested in understanding how we can keep our country competitive and viable in the 21st century and leave both a positive situation and legacy for subsequent generations I highly suggest that you read this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book - worth a read for anyone who really wants to understand more about race in the US *by M***L on April 30, 2015* In 1968, my family moved from Queens to Great Neck, a suburb of NY - one of the only NY suburbs at the time that allowed black people to own houses (as a largely Jewish suburb, it accepted us, because they also had been rejected from most suburbs in NY.) So I knew very personally what happened in the suburban US around redlining, and various other tactics, some quite violent, to keep non-whites from living in them. In 2008, I decided to leave Oakland, and move to Sonoma County, a nice, bucolic rural area, which is not at all diverse. I've lived in other rural areas, also not diverse. I asked myself, why is it that there are so few black or interracial rural or semi-rural communities? I thought perhaps it was because that's not where the jobs are. Or that's just how the demographics played out. What I learned from reading this book made me realize I should have taken the lesson from my youth - there was an active, purposeful purge of non-whites from rural communities all over the country, and policies to keep them away. Did you know there were blacks in every county in Montana at one point? There were significant populations of african-americans in small rural communities all over the US prior to 1900. This book is a great historic overview of what happened to those communities, and how the suburban US was formed to specifically exclude blacks, and often also Jews and others as well. It's extremely well researched, evenhanded, and is a worthy companion to helping to understand the issues that plague us today. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history and social justice. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sundown Towns - And What Remains to be Done *by W***N on January 7, 2006* Professor James Loewen's Sundown Towns will, I daresay, be the standard, comprehensive book on this subject for a long time. It is an extraordinary account of the assault, killing, removal, and settlement prevention of African-Americans in counties, villages, towns , cities, and suburbs all over the country, primarily not in the South, especially during 1890-1940, but continuing into the present. His discussion of the societal consequences for everyone is illuminating. I have been active in historical venues for many years. My paternal lineage is in Alabama, my maternal in Ohio. I am not naive about the boundless possibilities of racism from whatever sources. Nevertheless, I was shocked by this book, and, I must say, angered about many years of criticism of the South by persons and organizations from elsewhere in this country when atrocities were, and are, rampant there also. Dr. Loewen conducted vast research in the literature, both local and national. This volume is a source book in its footnotes and bibliography. His extensive visitations and interviews greatly strengthen his conclusions. He has also often been careful to indicate when documentation is thin. My principal criticism is that Sundown Towns should be Volume I of a two-volume set. From reading this book one might conclude that racism is only white when actually it knows no bounds. Many of the sundown towns had no legitimate gripe which renders their racism especially shocking. Racism aside, people do have legitimate concerns about crime, education, government operations, and other public issues, none of which, however, justify exclusion by race. Until these issues are dealt with as well and honestly as Loewen has done with sundown towns, his book will not have the impact that it should. People respond better when all their concerns are treated fairly, honestly, comprehensively, and not with political correctness. As a proud resident of an inner city neighborhood in the South, I can assure you that we live daily with all sides of these issues. ## Frequently Bought Together - Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism - Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong - Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/113589364-sundown-towns-a-hidden-dimension-of-american-racism](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/113589364-sundown-towns-a-hidden-dimension-of-american-racism) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-06-06*