Although racism still exists in the United States, it has generally become more subtle, leading some to deny that it is still a problem. Now that institutional segregation is no longer considered acceptable, some people argue that racism as a whole has been eradicated. Readers discover that this mindset ignores covert, or hidden, racism, which often deals with assumptions: for example, that a black mother does not have a husband or that all Hispanic people are Mexican. In-depth sidebars, discussion questions, and detailed photographs augment the engaging narrative as it discusses the history of American racism and its lasting effects.