emjayscott's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
alyx's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Very elementary--which isn't a bad thing! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to anyone well-read in Black history, anti-racist praxis, or critical race theory, BUT I think this is a great read for white people (and potentially non-Black people of color, but I can't speak to that pov!) just beginning their journey just starting to think critically about anti-Blackness in our society.
As someone who's read and reflected a decent amount about race and racism (I'm no expert, but I sincerely hope I'm no longer a beginner), I enjoyed this book because it was a good model of how to start conversations and frame basic concepts to other, less racially aware white people without jumping too far ahead to theory and making them shut down.
Acho is a wonderful writer and narrator (I listened to the audiobook), and I enjoyed his unique (compared to other prominent Black American writers) analogies and perspective.
As someone who's read and reflected a decent amount about race and racism (I'm no expert, but I sincerely hope I'm no longer a beginner), I enjoyed this book because it was a good model of how to start conversations and frame basic concepts to other, less racially aware white people without jumping too far ahead to theory and making them shut down.
Acho is a wonderful writer and narrator (I listened to the audiobook), and I enjoyed his unique (compared to other prominent Black American writers) analogies and perspective.
ela_lee_'s review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this book. Conversations with a Black Man is written in a very casual, conversational, and non-argumentative way that I think (hope) can get through to many people. This is probably the best intro-level racial injustice book I’ve read so far and would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t know where to start regarding this subject.
This book covers a variety of important topics such as implicit bias (the attitudes/stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner,) how systemic racism implemented vague laws that began to unfairly criminalize Black people, cultural appropriation, and more. Forcing us to ask ourselves, "what would America be like if we loved Black people as much as we loved Black culture?"
A few of my highlights from this book:
"So when we say 'All Lives Matter' are we talking about White lives? And if so, let’s just say that, because it’s coded language. When people proclaim that 'Black Lives Matter,' it’s not about saying White lives don’t matter, it is a given in this country that they do. What Black people are really and truly saying is that Black lives matter as well as White lives."
"If you’re going to be proud of the history of White people, you have to acknowledge the WHOLE history of White people. And if we put all those great things in context, we must admit that it occurred in an America that rigged and denied opportunities to others so that White people could thrive. And this is not to dismiss the talent, intelligence, drive, ingenuity of all the great White people. Not to dismiss all those firsts from long ago and even now, but if we’re going to talk about it, let’s talk about ALL of it."
Statistics from the report, 'An Unjust Burden: The Desperate Treatment of Black Americans in the Criminal Justice System:' "Black men comprise about 13% of the US male population, but nearly 35% of all men who are under state or federal jurisdiction with a sentence of more than one year. 1 in 3 Black men born in 2001 can expect to be incarcerated in his lifetime compared to 1 in 6 Latino men, and 1 in 17 White men. Black people are incarcerated in state prisons at a rate 5.1 times greater than that of White people. 1 in 18 Black women born in 2001 will be incarcerated sometime in her lifetime, compared to 1 in 45 Latino women and 1 in 111 White women. 44% of incarcerated women are Black, although Black women only make up about 13% of the female US population. It’s easy to say that Black people, Black men especially, are being over-policed."
"The New York Times estimates that between 15 and 26 million people demonstrated over George Floyd’s death in the US alone, making it the largest demonstration in the history of the country. Some researches number the protestors at around 24 million worldwide, which would make it the largest mass protest in history, period."
"Let me clarify: defunding the police does NOT mean abolishing the police (though there are more radial calls for that, too.) It instead means redirecting money from police budgets to other government agencies funded by the city. Defunding the police could be mean more money for underfunded schools, for mental health programs, or for drug recovery programs. All of which can help to reduce crime."
"Racism has been shape-shifting and fighting it demands vigilance against its many changing forms. Still, though its been with us for more than 400 years and is as adapting as anything I can think of, the fact that it was man-made gives me faith that we can still yet un-do it. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but it’s important not to let that discourage you, but rather encourage you to stay in this long, noble fight."
This book covers a variety of important topics such as implicit bias (the attitudes/stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner,) how systemic racism implemented vague laws that began to unfairly criminalize Black people, cultural appropriation, and more. Forcing us to ask ourselves, "what would America be like if we loved Black people as much as we loved Black culture?"
A few of my highlights from this book:
"So when we say 'All Lives Matter' are we talking about White lives? And if so, let’s just say that, because it’s coded language. When people proclaim that 'Black Lives Matter,' it’s not about saying White lives don’t matter, it is a given in this country that they do. What Black people are really and truly saying is that Black lives matter as well as White lives."
"If you’re going to be proud of the history of White people, you have to acknowledge the WHOLE history of White people. And if we put all those great things in context, we must admit that it occurred in an America that rigged and denied opportunities to others so that White people could thrive. And this is not to dismiss the talent, intelligence, drive, ingenuity of all the great White people. Not to dismiss all those firsts from long ago and even now, but if we’re going to talk about it, let’s talk about ALL of it."
Statistics from the report, 'An Unjust Burden: The Desperate Treatment of Black Americans in the Criminal Justice System:' "Black men comprise about 13% of the US male population, but nearly 35% of all men who are under state or federal jurisdiction with a sentence of more than one year. 1 in 3 Black men born in 2001 can expect to be incarcerated in his lifetime compared to 1 in 6 Latino men, and 1 in 17 White men. Black people are incarcerated in state prisons at a rate 5.1 times greater than that of White people. 1 in 18 Black women born in 2001 will be incarcerated sometime in her lifetime, compared to 1 in 45 Latino women and 1 in 111 White women. 44% of incarcerated women are Black, although Black women only make up about 13% of the female US population. It’s easy to say that Black people, Black men especially, are being over-policed."
"The New York Times estimates that between 15 and 26 million people demonstrated over George Floyd’s death in the US alone, making it the largest demonstration in the history of the country. Some researches number the protestors at around 24 million worldwide, which would make it the largest mass protest in history, period."
"Let me clarify: defunding the police does NOT mean abolishing the police (though there are more radial calls for that, too.) It instead means redirecting money from police budgets to other government agencies funded by the city. Defunding the police could be mean more money for underfunded schools, for mental health programs, or for drug recovery programs. All of which can help to reduce crime."
"Racism has been shape-shifting and fighting it demands vigilance against its many changing forms. Still, though its been with us for more than 400 years and is as adapting as anything I can think of, the fact that it was man-made gives me faith that we can still yet un-do it. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but it’s important not to let that discourage you, but rather encourage you to stay in this long, noble fight."
lolothecatlady0's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
pitbullfever's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't read this but listened to it as an audiobook. To me it was like having a conversation with a friend. He answered many questions, too many I know I was afraid but I thank him for addressing. I learned a lot. What he says in the beginning, "you cannot solved a problem you don't have" made me really think about what he was trying to say. If you believe racism doesn't exist, then yes you won't think it is a problem because you're not the one affected by it. I was skimming through some of the review and I can already see some people getting defensive in their reviews. I guess that is par for the course. Confronting something like racism head on, means you will have a lot of pushback. I am a person of mixed ancestry including European, American Indian, African, among others and I want to educate myself on how to be a better ally. I think Acho is incredibly brave for coming out and writing this book because doing nothing about racism doesn't solve anything. I only wish he would've broken down the bigger sections into smaller sections and labeled them in the audiobook but I guess that has to do with the format of the audiobook itself.
kriste's review against another edition
4.0
Thankful this book touched on transracial relationships (including adoption) and being am ally.