lilac_sparkle's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

A really good book for wanting to learn about women of color are affected by white feminism.

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leahkarge's review against another edition

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4.0


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lizziaha's review against another edition

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5.0

For a relatively short book, this packed a punch! I thought going into this that it would focus in on Black women, but it covered a wide array of experiences from BIPOC people and featured a lot of diversity in examples as well. The writing style was engaging while still leaving room for me to reflect on my own experiences as a white woman in a position of societal power. Definitely a must-read. 

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ksuazo94's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5


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ellaniji's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0


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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5


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tmchopra's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.0


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alyssa_s10's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

5.0

This book was a very informative read. The authors do a great job in exposing the ways in which white feminism has historically excluded and silenced women of color. This book made me take a real note of the privilege I have as a white woman. Highly recommend!

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triple_m's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

Required reading for any white women who considers herself a feminist. This was a really great and informative analysis on how white women are able to switch to weaponize their whiteness when its beneficial to them.

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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging informative fast-paced

4.25

In White Tears/Brown Scars, Ruby Hamad investigates and elaborates on how white feminism has hurt and continues to hurt BIPOC the world over. Ahmad’s particularly compelling argument is that white women have simultaneously played both damsels in distress and arbiters of power since European colonialism began. A microcosm of this behavior is regularly captured in videos of white women who start confrontations with BIPOC as aggressors (calling the cops on people having a barbecue, for instance) and end the video in tears, claiming they are being threatened. The key takeaway for me here is that *this is not new behavior* and white women, historically, have clung to power first (through whiteness) and called on the “sisterhood” of feminism only when it benefitted their proximity to power. I have personally witnessed behavior like this many times and as a young person, was absolutely socialized to use my tears as a weapon. It’s something I continue to work hard to unlearn.

I enjoyed Hamad’s more global perspective. Most of the books I have read on racial and social justice have been centered on US problems and examples, so Ruby’s Australian voice was welcome. My biggest critique of this book is Hamad’s multiple references to Robin D’Angelo, who has shown herself to be pretty problematic, but on balance they’re not a deal breaker for recommending the rest of the book.

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