James T. Patterson won the Bancroft Prize in History for Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974 (OUP, 1996). Author of numerous books concerning modern American life, he is Ford Foundation Professor of History at Brown University.

IPatterson shrewdly explores provocative issues that still swirl around "Brown v. Board of Education," including whether the decision touched off the modern civil rights movement and how useful court-ordered busing and affirmative action have been in removing racial segregation. 36 photos.