People have been unhappy for a long time about the two-party system.

This is a column collection, or as one colleague called it, "history in real time," recounting my perspective on the highs and lows of this presidency from an African-American perspective. More than simply a column collection, the book has a substantial introduction that frames the [Barack] Obama presidency, explores the way Obama was treated by the political establishment and also how this first black president treated "his" people. In the epilogue, I use numbers to tell the story of African-American gains and losses during this presidency.

Did Rahm Emmanuel serve President Barack] Obama or did he serve himself as he prepared to run for Mayor of Chicago? I don't use the term black-on-black violence, since I've never heard the term white-on-white violence.

President [Barack] Obama did put together a task force on 21st Century Policing, led by Philadelphia police chief Charles Ramsey, to look at some of these issues after Ferguson.

If the Muslim community in Michigan comes out strongly, I think they will make a difference.

The published record will show that many in Chicago have mixed feedback on the President's [Barack Obama] role as organizer.

I like to think that life lessons are learned and re-learned every day and take on importance at different times in life.