October 7, 2009

Don Imus Is Not the Problem, a Scholar Argues in a New Book

Don Imus Is Not the Problem, a Scholar Argues in a New Book 1

Peter Kramer/Getty Images

In an unusual book for a university press to publish, a black feminist critic finds unexpected commonality with Don Imus, the white talk-show host who drew fire from academe for offensive comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

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close Don Imus Is Not the Problem, a Scholar Argues in a New Book 1

Peter Kramer/Getty Images

In an unusual book for a university press to publish, a black feminist critic finds unexpected commonality with Don Imus, the white talk-show host who drew fire from academe for offensive comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

By Jennifer Howard

What do a white shock jock and a black feminist critic have in common? Not much, on the surface of things. But a new book by one such critic, Burying Don Imus: Anatomy of a Scapegoat, just out from the University of Minnesota Press, does not try to bury Mr. Imus at all. In fact, the author, Michael Awkward, is a longtime fan of Mr. Imus's show.

Don Imus, of course, is the lightning-rod radio-and-TV personality who was dumped by MSNBC in 2007 after referring (on air) to the

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