The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends Moral Literacy by Barbara Herman. Here is a description:
A distinguished moral philosopher and a leading interpreter of Kant’s ethics, Barbara Herman draws on Kant to address timeless issues in ethical theory as well as ones arising from current moral problems, such as obligations to distant need, the history of slavery as it bears on affirmative action, and the moral costs of reparative justice.
Challenging various Kantian orthodoxies, Herman offers a view of moral competency as a complex achievement, governed by rational norms and dependent on supportive social conditions. She argues that the objectivity of duties and obligations does not rule out the possibility of or need for moral invention. Her goal is not to revise Kant but to explore the issues and ask the questions that he did not consider.
Some of the essays involve explicit interpretation of Kant, and others are prompted by ground-level questions. For example, how should we think about moral character given what we know about the fault lines in normal development? If ordinary moral life is saturated by the content of local institutions, how should our accounts of moral obligation and judgment accommodate this?
And a review from Stephen Darwall:
Rawls pointed out that ‘it was one of Hegel’s aims to overcome the many dualisms that he thought disfigured Kant’s transcendental idealism. Herman’s essays, in my view, are distinctive for this same emphasis. Throughout, she stresses continuities where more orthodox Kantian thought (both Kant himself and more recent interpretation) insists on separation. And she argues that Kant’s central insights are not only preserved, but improved, when one appreciates these continuities. Thus, where orthodox Kantian thought sharply distinguishes desire from reason, love from reason, particular judgment from principle, and so on, Herman argues that these pairs should all be seen as continuous and interconnected and that a Kantian take on ethics is enhanced by so viewing them. If system-building and construction are metaphors one associates most with Kant, Herman’s approach is more that of an improvisational musician or weaver. She is tough-minded and rigorous, philosophically. And she doesn’t waste words. Herman has an economy of expression and a penchant for illuminating philosophical coinage. –Stephen Darwall, John Dewey Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan, and author of The Second Person Standpoint
In my opinion, Herman’s recent work reprsents the very best of contemporary moral philosophy in the tradition of Kant–only a handful of scholars combine her deep appreciation of Kant, philosophical rigor, and genuine intellectual flexibility. A superb book. What I can I add to Darwall’s high priase, except to say, "Highly Recommended!"