Challenging the implication that African-American elites tended to their own needs during Reconstruction and did little to help others or the black community in general, Moore (history, Austin College, Sherman, Texas) demonstrates how the interests of the elite interacted with the needs of the community in Washington, DC. They set out making much of social distinctions, she argues, but the imposition of Jim Crow segregation forced them into racial consciousness. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)