Book excerpt: Berlinerblau (Judaic studies, Hofstra U.) explores the reactions--widely divergent but mostly intense--to Martin Bernal's 1987 publication of the first volume of Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. In light of classicist reacting to an outsider's intrusion into their field and Afrocentrist accusation of stealing the material from black scholars, he considers the question of intellectual responsibility during an age of cultural warfare. He also elucidates the contents of the book itself. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR