America through the eyes of ordinary blacks; Drylongso, by John
Langston Gwaltney. New York: Random House. $12.95.  By , Peter
Spotts is on the Monitor's American news staff.  Drylongso:
ordinary (in black dialect).m These are the kinds of people
Syracuse University anthropologist John Langston Gwaltney
interviewed for his "self-portrait" of black America. And the
portrait is must viewing for anyone trying to better understand
blacks in the United States and what must be done to improve
race relations in this country.  Noticeable by their absence in
this volume are the well-known blacks in politics, sports,
business, and entertainment to whom many white journalists and
politicians might normally go for insights about civil rights
and race relations.  Instead, Dr. Gwaltney, who is black and
blind, has focused on drylongsom folk -- anonymous people who
are seen by their friends and neighbors as having a great deal
of wisdom, experience, and common sense. Some have college
degrees; others do not. Some have littl