"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people."

The New York Times bestselling author of Race Matters and Democracy Matters offers provocative, open-hearted wisdom for our times. In a world that yearns for unarmed truth and unconditional love, in the midst of cold greed and blind hatred, Hope on a Tightrope offers a new compass. This courageous collection will challenge all those in search of new perspectives and provides deep wells of inspiration that marry the mind to the heart.

Whether writing on race and identity, courage and faith, or music and philosophy,

Dr. West reveals himself as a brilliant philosopher who loves us enough to make us think. He challenges us, stimulates us and never, ever stops serving us. As you read the book or listen to his words on the CD, allow yourself to contemplate Dr. West's wisdom. Let him become your intellectual and spiritual sparring partner, and stand on his shoulders to gain a new view of the world and your place in it.

Educator and philosopher Cornel West is the Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University. Known as one of America's most gifted, provocative, and important public intellectuals, he is the author of the contemporary classic Race Matters, which changed the course of America's dialogue on race and justice, and the New York Times bestseller Democracy Matters and the memoir Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. He is the recipient of the American Book Award and more than 20 honorary degrees.