Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - The Skin We're in: A Year of Black Resistance and Power

Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Skin We're in: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole

22 reviews

siobhanward's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

So many books on anti-Black racism focus on the United States, which, while it does have problems with systemic racism, is often used as a scapegoat by Canadians. "Well we're not nearly as bad as the US," isn't really a great benchmark, ya know? Cole's deep-dive into racism in Canada was fascinating and well-developed. While at times it hit close to home (literally - I was shocked to hear Cole tell a story that took place blocks from my house), it was a good balance of stories and areas of focus.

I especially appreciated the context Cole gave to all of the stories he told. The statistics on school suspensions were sobering, and his comparison of the Toronto Star's reaction to his activism versus the activism of a white colleague in a similar position was especially interesting. Cole really knew what he intended when he wrote this, and I appreciated how well it was written.

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vanesst's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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lemoneverdeen's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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cjsays's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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pipn_t's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

4.5

This is an excellent book. It discusses racism, really interesting to read about racism in Canada, especially as these stories are not all well publicized or discussed as widely as they should be in Canada. Really valuable as an example of the all-pervasiveness of racism - it isn’t only a thing for one country. I also really appreciated that it also included the issues of the indigenous peoples of North America - this isn’t always discussed but it’s really good to see it also in a book like this as the issues are not unrelated.

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medhuvada's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

For anyone that thinks Canada is a bastion of inclusivity - this book holds a mirror to every wrong assumption and ingrained, systemic anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity. Cole writes of a year of activism in Canada, wraps each story and chapter with care and concern for those whose stories he shares, and demonstrates failures in a racist settler-colonial system. This should be mandatory reading across the country, and hopefully then the activists working to dismantle these harmful institutions will be joined by more Canadians.

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lizard800's review

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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butlerebecca's review

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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demonbaby's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

A necessary read for all Canadians to understand the state of Black and Indigenous peoples in this country. Cole intertwines personal experiences, historical context, and hard-hitting journalism to illustrate what it means to be Black in Canada.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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