Reviews with content warning for Cultural appropriation - White Tears/Brown Scars

The book is deep, to-the-point, and exhaustive, explaining the ways in which white women oppress women of color. It also does a wonderful job outlining how white women's vulnerability is both a weakness (under white patriarchy) and a weapon (against people of color)

While I recommend it to all people, I warn you: this is not an easy book. It will call you on your heels and grab your attention. Feeling uncomfortable? Perfect, that's the point.

It focuses on Arab, Native American, Black, Asian (especially East Asian) and Latina women. I found it to be an appropriate mix of historical elements, background, the modern day, and personal experiences. In addition, the chapters are linked in a logical and understandable manner.

I found this book to be exceptionally well-researched and comprehensive. I encourage you to read this wonderful work.

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thenonbinaryc's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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bookworm_leilani's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Everything about this book is exceptional and so insightful and informative. Some parts of the book can be little hard to digest emotionally or academically and but I appreciated that when Ms. Hamad quoted another writer or thinker and the quote was a little too academically verbose she diluted it enough for the not so academic or deeply philosophical readers aka me. I really liked the international scope the book has and how the author gives so much perspective on the colonization of Aboriginal women. This book also gave me rationalization on why White American feminism never appealed to me and why in my most cringey adolescent moments I didn't identify with feminism. It was all white feminism's fault! As I kept reading and learning about all the ways white women upheld white supremacy and racism and class division I kept remembering that super creepy compilation of white women on Tik Tok all hysterically crying and then immediately stopping and then sinisterly smiling to the camera. Like none of them stopped to think about the history of harm those tears by their twisted ancestors caused to so many people of color and Black men, or rather, they KNOW the power of their tears and flaunted it for all to see which makes me wanna scream and also run far away from any white woman. Gonna have to be honest tho and say I didn't give it a full 5 bc it kinda rubbed me the wrong way that Ms. Hamad included the men that reached out to say they knew all too well about (white) women's tears bc they had experienced it firsthand. Like I'm glad she felt support from them but also I hope these men didn't use her article to use it as some sort of approval by a woman of color to them saying that any woman who cries during an emotional or stressful situation is just manipulative bullshit. I know that wasn't the intent of adding that here but men like to tergivisate and I just know most interpreted it that way. Other than that very small thing in the book I admit I'm amplyfing bc it bothered me personally, this book is amazing and should be read by every single white woman and those who think assimilating into whiteness is their way to power/making it.

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lucilaroife's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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