I was unaware that it was being pitched as anything but American. That being said, there is a big section on Zinedine Zidane and France. Half the book is not very new or revealing, but it trods common ground. The discouraging part of the book enters the personal realm, the anecdotal, racial lines in families and friendships.

Since my children attend an inner city public school in America that is 45% black, 30% white, 15% Latino, and the rest immigrant (Somali, SE Asia), I find that no matter the attempts of parents to integrate, our segregated societies reinforce difference and make integration a long slog. Kids have close friendships, even romantic relationships, but over the years we have noticed the self-reinforcing segregation, ingrained in the soft power of society. And it breaks down in unusual ways. When liberals come to the defense of blacks, they get push back from some surprising voices here. The line between patronizing and sympathizing is a fine one.