Includes bibliographical references.

Michele Norris, host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," set out, through original reporting, to write a book about "the hidden conversation on race" that is going on in this country. But along the way she unearthed painful family secrets. Extraordinary for Norris's candor in examining her own complex racial legacy, "The Grace of Silence" is also informed by hundreds of interviews with ordinary Americans and wise observations about evolving attitudes toward race in America.