In her highly acclaimed work Black Children, Janice Hale argued that the difficulties many African American children have in school result from differences in learning style that are deeply rooted in African American culture. Now, in Unbank the Fire, Hale asks a new question: What sorts of extraordinary measures are needed to overcome these differences and let black children reach their full potential in school and beyond? Her answer: none.

"I named this book Unbank the Fire," Hale writes, "because I do not believe that extraordinary measures are called for to assist African American children in reaching their potential. All that is necessary is for this society to remove the ashes that historically and presently stunt their development."