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Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting, although imperfect
Review: Canon put in a lot of empirical research and he is to be congratulated. I have seen more writings on this subject that I care to recall, but never as detailed account as one gets here of the deliberations within the North Carolina assembly that led to its infamous ink-blot-like districting map.Also, Canon presents evidence of something that seems to have come as a surprise to him -- that on a wide range of issues black Americans are not significantly to the political left of white Americans even as a matter of statistical average. He gathered survey data on a wide range of issues he codes as non-racial, including health care, taxes, abortion, etc. He has plotted the results, broken down by race, on a scale from 0 (rightwardmost possible opinion) to 1 (leftwardmost possible opinion). The distribution of white and black opinions on this basket of issues was nearly identical. The "mean" black opinion on that scale was 0.4654. The "mean" white opinion was 0.4653! Despite such interesting features, the book is marred by some special pleading for Canon's own political views.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: David Canon's account of race and representation is an excellent one. His eclectic research methodology engages the reader; personal interviews with congressmen and their staffers complement other, more traditional, analyses very well. In sum, majority-minority districts promote the "politics of commonality," moderating racism and fear on all sides. While Canon's philosophical "pleading" disappointed the previous reviewer, I found his candor quite refreshing. Rare is the scholar who admits personal bias. For a unique, well-argued, and persuasive study of racial politics, buy this book.
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