The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions Twentieth Anniversary Edition (The William G. Bowen Series Book 118)

**The landmark __New York Times__ bestseller that demonstrates the benefits of race-conscious admissions in higher education** First published in 1998, William Bowen and Derek Bok’s __The Shape of the River__ became an immediate landmark in the debate over affirmative action in America. It grounded a contentious subject in concrete data at a time when arguments surrounding it were characterized more by emotion than evidence—and it made a forceful case that race-conscious admissions were successfully helping to promote equal opportunity. Today, the issue of affirmative action remains unsettled. Much has changed, but __The Shape of the River__ continues to present the most compelling data available about the effects of affirmative action. Now with a new foreword by Nicholas Lemann and an afterword by Derek Bok, __The Shape of the River__ is an essential text for anyone seeking to understand race-conscious admissions in higher education.