When was the last time you said everything on your mind without holding back? In this no-holds-barred discussion of America's top hot-button issues, a journalist and a cultural anthropologist express opinions that are widely held in private--but rarely heard in public.

Everyone edits what they say. It's a part of growing up. But what if we applied tell-it-like-it-is honesty to grown-up issues? In Impolite Conversations, two respected thinkers and writers openly discuss five "third-rail" topics--from multi-racial identities to celebrity worship to hyper-masculinity among black...