There is something going on in this country.

In case you hadn't noticed.

We're having public and private conversations, dialogues, and debates about our core identity.

As a nation. As individuals.

We're examining our principles. Those we say we live up to, and those we actually do.

If it feels like we're at a crossroads in terms of the direction of our society, it's because we are.

We are (re)considering our obligations to our neighbors, the global community, and the environment that we share. We are grappling with extremism, group-think, and the corrosive effects of orthodoxy—on the political right and left; what it means to be free, to be just, to be a democracy.

This is a wide-ranging moral reckoning. This series, My Name is Ted and I'm a Racist, uses race as an entrée point, but make no mistake, this also a series about equity vs. equality, living an ethical life, privilege, oppression, victimhood, and survival. It's about trauma and resilience. It's about moral injuries, historical injustices, but also healing, rejuvenation, and reconciliation.

Ted Neill uses his own journey, from a conservative family of origin, to a progressive family of choice, from bystander to activist, to disillusionment, and humility as a microcosm of the paroxysms that gripped the US in recent years. Always humble, with searing insight, and even humor Neill offers the compassionate, reasonable, integrated take we, as a country need right now.

This is a collection of the four complete volumes in this series. There is a progression of ideas among these four books just as there has been a progression in my understanding doing this work. Here is a quick summary of the volumes.

Volume 1: Racism 101 – How a bunch of sober alcoholics gave me tools to confront my racial biases. Volume One is a primer on the basics of racism, its history, its psychology, and how our understanding around it has evolved. It introduces some examples of how this work has "overreached" in recent years, leading to setbacks. Volume One also uses principles from twelve step programs and shares how they can be applied to implicit biases and emotional triggers to better help us live in community with others.

Volume 2: Racism 202 – Change is harder than you think. Let's try to understand this country better. If Volume One was Racism 101, this is 202. Volume Two draws on lessons learned as a well-meaning-but imperfect-ally. It's full of hard truths and wrong turns—committed and observed—throughout years of activism, facilitation, and just living. We learn that advocating a righteous cause and being righteous are two very different things. Volume two also includes insights on better understanding the diverse character of this country.

Volume 3: Dear Liberals, Not everyone who disagrees with you is evil. Let's better understand those who do, including the faith community. Volume Three is a full-on appeal for compassion on the part of fellow activists and progressives, so that we don't fall into patterns of intolerance and bigotry ourselves, becoming mirror opposites of the -isms we wish to reform. Volume Three examines the role of faith communities, for good and ill, in racial and social justice work.

Volume 4: Liberals – How not to be your own worst enemy. Volume Four weaves together the previous chapters, lessons, and tips into lasting principles that can guide us wherever we are focusing our efforts, whether that is to reform systems, reform the reformers, or just to be a better member of the human family.