Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

White Tears Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Colour by Ruby Hamad

25 reviews

brookey8888's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

This one was really interesting. It was interesting to see America and American politics and feminism through the eyes of someone from another country. I did learn a lot and I found a lot of this interesting, but so infuriating. I’m glad there is a book about white feminism and how damaging that is. I think this book is good for beginners of feminism/anti racism and for people far along in their journey. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

REQUIRED READING FOR EVERYONE! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

ellaniji's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Since this book is about white feminism, rasism and sexism are central in this book.

dominicangirl's review against another edition

informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

swamphag42069's review against another edition

This book was super awesome but not a fun read (personally) This brown girl felt incredibly validated and seen while reading, which was simultaneously v triggering. I am not who needs to be reading this, but would recommend all intersectional feminists who are white should. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting

savvylit's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book thoroughly highlights and unveils several delusions that are common in the greater (white) culture of the Western world. Primary among them is the idea that white women have been unaware or innocent during some of history's worst atrocities. For instance, Hamad draws on examples from colonial America & Australia to show that white women were not only complicit in genocidal behavior but also strong proponents of it.

That's not to say that White Tears/Brown Scars is purely about betrayals of the past - it most certainly is not. Hamad discusses the past only to bolster the truth at the heart of this book: that even in modern life, a myth of white female innocence is just as common and damaging as ever. Using examples from real individuals, her own experience, and the media, Hamad outlines the ways that white women willfully use their tears and presumed "innocence" to dismiss and damage women of color. Time after time, white women have shown that if they're even mildly criticized for racist behavior, they will become belligerently sad and defensive. By taking a concern and transforming it into a personal attack, the focus of the argument then becomes centered solely on the white woman's feelings. If there's any sort of audience, other folks do their best to assuage the sad white woman. Thus, the initial concerns and distress of the person of color become completely forgotten. This is a collective delusion that gaslights women of color.

When white womanhood and its insidious associations of presumed innocence are continually prioritized and promoted, the "feminist" movement has failed. Hamad proves that equality among women is only achievable once white women are willing to acknowledge their complicity in upholding whiteness. Throughout history, whiteness has been a self-perpetuating power structure built on outright lies. We need to recognize the delusions that we continue to uphold & promote and stop centering white feelings in discussions of race.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Torture, War, and Classism

Eugenics, Colorism, Blackface, White supremacy, Lynching

emilia_digi's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

theoceanrose's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Very informative, but not a good choice for when you're suffering through covid brain fog. Put this aside for when you can think clearly and fully process.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Gaslighting

_cooper_'s review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

A fantastic analysis and breakdown of white feminism and it’s perpetuation of white supremacy and continual invalidation of the experiences of BIPOC women. It’s not always a easy read, but it is an important and necessary one in order to understand and combat the systems of oppression that exist in our world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Gaslighting