What explains the well-documented racial disparities in rates of homicide and other acts of criminal violence in the United States? Critically confronting the conventional narratives that purport to answer this question, the authors of Roots of African American Violence offer an alternative framework-one that acknowledges the often hidden cultural diversity and within-race ethnocentrism that exists in black communities. Their provocative work, drawing insights from criminology, criminal justice, anthropology, and sociology, is a seminal step in efforts to understand the intersection of race and violence. About the AuthorDarnell F. Hawkins is professor emeritus of criminal justice, sociology, and African American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Jerome B. McKean is associate professor emeritus of criminology and criminal justice at Ball State University. Norman A. White is associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Saint Louis University. Christine Martin is an independent scholar based in Chicago.