cheyenneisreading's review against another edition
5.0
An important book with so many important messages. All white people should read this. There are so many portions of this book I wanted to share but here where some quotes that stood out to me:
“Colour-blindness is a childish, stunted analysis of racism. It starts and ends at 'discriminating against a person because of the colour of their skin is bad', without any accounting for the ways in which structural power manifests in these exchanges. With an analysis so immature, this definition of racism is often used to silence people of colour attempting to articulate the racism we face. When people of colour point this out, they're accused of being racist against white people, and the accountability avoidance continues. Colour-blindness does not accept the legitimacy of structural racism or a history of white racial dominance”
“And they rightly say, I'm sick of living in this world built for the needs of men! I feel like at best, I can fight it, at worst I have to learn to cope in it? Yet they're incredibly defensive when the same analysis of race is levelled at their whiteness. You'd have to laugh, if the whole thing wasn't so reprehensible.”
“Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It's about white anxiety. It's about asking why whiteness has this reflexive need to define itself against immigrant bogey monsters in order to feel comfortable, safe and secure.”
So glad I read this book!! You should read it too if you haven’t already.
“Colour-blindness is a childish, stunted analysis of racism. It starts and ends at 'discriminating against a person because of the colour of their skin is bad', without any accounting for the ways in which structural power manifests in these exchanges. With an analysis so immature, this definition of racism is often used to silence people of colour attempting to articulate the racism we face. When people of colour point this out, they're accused of being racist against white people, and the accountability avoidance continues. Colour-blindness does not accept the legitimacy of structural racism or a history of white racial dominance”
“And they rightly say, I'm sick of living in this world built for the needs of men! I feel like at best, I can fight it, at worst I have to learn to cope in it? Yet they're incredibly defensive when the same analysis of race is levelled at their whiteness. You'd have to laugh, if the whole thing wasn't so reprehensible.”
“Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It's about white anxiety. It's about asking why whiteness has this reflexive need to define itself against immigrant bogey monsters in order to feel comfortable, safe and secure.”
So glad I read this book!! You should read it too if you haven’t already.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
My original blog post here.
This is a book which arose out of the aftermath of a blog post by Reni Eddo-Lodge here.
I can very well understand the frustration and weariness of trying to carry on a conversation and feeling that you're just not being seen or heard. I grew up in the 70's, mostly in London, as the offspring of 2 Irish academics. I've been told I look like a 'poster child for Irish tourism' and it wasn't meant in a nice way. But, that being said, white on white racism isn't her experience and obviously I have no real method (or desire) to compare my experience to hers and say 'I get it'.
People are complex and race issues are unique to, and tied inextricably with, the places and people involved. British racism is quite distinct from American racism and neither are the same as the racism intrinsic to eastern Asia, Australia, Africa, or Northern Europe. She somewhat narrows her focus to specifically talk about her experience as a person of color growing up and living in England. Even so, it's wide ranging and well researched and makes some valid points.
This was an exhausting book for me to read although Ms. Eddo-Lodge has a clear and very readable voice, the subject matter was so draining for me that it took me several tries to manage to finish it and I'm still in the digesting stage, going back to read chapters and try to understand. She spends a fair bit of effort explaining in the book why there's a fundamental disconnect between even well meaning white people and people of color and why white people just don't understand.
As a biotech professional, I just wish we'd get on with using our human resources and richness and diversity to solve our bloody problems and not just create new ones. Without denigrating or denying that many people are generally a waste of protoplasm and white privilege is really awful, I really do feel like I don't engage differently with my colleagues based on where they're from or what they look like. I don't think my colleagues are promoted or held back based on their ethnicity or the melanin content of their skin (I currently live, work, and study in Northern Europe).
This is sort of like those really long arguments which you had with a partner you really cared for back in college, but you were just really really weary of fighting and wanted to stop arguing. I get very sad that we seemingly can't move beyond this stage. For me personally, this book was read with a backdrop of black lives matter, NFL athlete protests, utterly tone-deaf divisive sound bites from the media talking heads (and government), and neonazi marches and violence.
Difficult reading. It made me very tired and sad.
Four stars (likely would've been 5 if I wasn't a basically 'color blind' bionerd labrat).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher
This is a book which arose out of the aftermath of a blog post by Reni Eddo-Lodge here.
I can very well understand the frustration and weariness of trying to carry on a conversation and feeling that you're just not being seen or heard. I grew up in the 70's, mostly in London, as the offspring of 2 Irish academics. I've been told I look like a 'poster child for Irish tourism' and it wasn't meant in a nice way. But, that being said, white on white racism isn't her experience and obviously I have no real method (or desire) to compare my experience to hers and say 'I get it'.
People are complex and race issues are unique to, and tied inextricably with, the places and people involved. British racism is quite distinct from American racism and neither are the same as the racism intrinsic to eastern Asia, Australia, Africa, or Northern Europe. She somewhat narrows her focus to specifically talk about her experience as a person of color growing up and living in England. Even so, it's wide ranging and well researched and makes some valid points.
This was an exhausting book for me to read although Ms. Eddo-Lodge has a clear and very readable voice, the subject matter was so draining for me that it took me several tries to manage to finish it and I'm still in the digesting stage, going back to read chapters and try to understand. She spends a fair bit of effort explaining in the book why there's a fundamental disconnect between even well meaning white people and people of color and why white people just don't understand.
As a biotech professional, I just wish we'd get on with using our human resources and richness and diversity to solve our bloody problems and not just create new ones. Without denigrating or denying that many people are generally a waste of protoplasm and white privilege is really awful, I really do feel like I don't engage differently with my colleagues based on where they're from or what they look like. I don't think my colleagues are promoted or held back based on their ethnicity or the melanin content of their skin (I currently live, work, and study in Northern Europe).
This is sort of like those really long arguments which you had with a partner you really cared for back in college, but you were just really really weary of fighting and wanted to stop arguing. I get very sad that we seemingly can't move beyond this stage. For me personally, this book was read with a backdrop of black lives matter, NFL athlete protests, utterly tone-deaf divisive sound bites from the media talking heads (and government), and neonazi marches and violence.
Difficult reading. It made me very tired and sad.
Four stars (likely would've been 5 if I wasn't a basically 'color blind' bionerd labrat).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher
daysofcolour's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
merbearmer's review against another edition
5.0
4.5. Reni Eddo-Lodge does a really good job of breaking down the historical and modern day structures that perpetuate racism in British society and culture. I especially loved her section on feminism!
karimorton33's review against another edition
5.0
Like the quote on the cover says, this book is essential! I found it very accessible, in that it wasn’t overly academic, but it still had personal stories, case studies, and statistics to help strengthen the points made. This whole book was a lesson for me, in the importance of looking at our collective history to be able to change the future, and also about the necessity of intersectionality. Some of my favourite quotes:
“White people are so used to seeing a reflection of themselves in all representations of humanity at all times, that they only notice it when it’s taken away from them.”
“If, as they say, racism doesn’t exist, and black people have nothing to complain about, why are they so afraid of white people becoming the new minority?”
“Feminism, at its best, is a movement that works to liberate all people who have been economically, socially and culturally marginalized by an ideological system that has been designed for them to fail.”
“The mess we are living in is a deliberate one. If it was created by people, it can be dismantled by people, and it can be rebuilt in a way that serves all, rather than a selfish, hoarding few.”
“Discussing racism is not the same thing as discussing ‘black identity’. Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It’s about white anxiety. It’s about asking why whiteness has this reflexive need to define itself against immigrant bogey monsters in order to feel comfortable, safe and secure.”
(Read for Feminist Book Club)
“White people are so used to seeing a reflection of themselves in all representations of humanity at all times, that they only notice it when it’s taken away from them.”
“If, as they say, racism doesn’t exist, and black people have nothing to complain about, why are they so afraid of white people becoming the new minority?”
“Feminism, at its best, is a movement that works to liberate all people who have been economically, socially and culturally marginalized by an ideological system that has been designed for them to fail.”
“The mess we are living in is a deliberate one. If it was created by people, it can be dismantled by people, and it can be rebuilt in a way that serves all, rather than a selfish, hoarding few.”
“Discussing racism is not the same thing as discussing ‘black identity’. Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It’s about white anxiety. It’s about asking why whiteness has this reflexive need to define itself against immigrant bogey monsters in order to feel comfortable, safe and secure.”
(Read for Feminist Book Club)
ginanana's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
ajteyn's review against another edition
5.0
The best antiracist book I've ever read. A wonderfully accessible, nuanced look at British racism through an intersectional lens. Definitely one I will be recommending to white friends, particularly those who struggle to see the overlap of various forms of marginalisation. I loved this book and will probably end up reading it a second time!
ankatriendr's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
noonjinx's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Really well written; clear and powerful; full of history I wasn’t aware of, an irrefutable description of structural racism, insights into black experience, and observations of white attitudes that really hit home. I will be quoting from this book the next time friends and family trot out the “all lives matter” line.