In this update of the 1999 and 1988 editions, Gaillard (writer-in-residence, U. of South Alabama) presents a history of what had been considered a successful case of racial integration in the US. With President Reagan's lack of understanding in 1984 of Charlotte's pride in achieving public school integration as his starting point, he traces the city's course from 1957, when blacks first broke the color barrier at local schools, to debates over the recent re-segregation trend. Gaillard is the author of the award-winning Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement That Changed America (2004). Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)