So You Want to Talk About Race
-
-
4.1 • 413 Ratings
-
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America
Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy -- from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans -- has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair -- and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend?
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.
"Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases." -- National Book Review
"Generous and empathetic, yet usefully blunt . . . it's for anyone who wants to be smarter and more empathetic about matters of race and engage in more productive anti-racist action." -- Salon (Required Reading)
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Journalist Ijeoma Oluo isn’t here to hold anyone’s hand—the short essays in So You Want to Talk About Race are as blunt and provocative as their titles, like “Why Am I Always Being Told to ‘Check My Privilege’?” and “But What If I Hate Al Sharpton?” This is not a book that attempts to teach white people how to talk about race with their white friends, relatives, or co-workers. Instead, her focus is on getting the reader to think about their own privilege, and how structural racism affects everyone’s lives. Crucially, Oluo repeatedly stresses that because racism is such an emotionally charged topic, we’re all going to make mistakes in the moment, or as one title puts it, “I Just Got Called Racist, What Do I Do Now?” Oluo acknowledges that she doesn’t have any quick, easy-to-follow tips for battling institutional racism—“I’m not a magician,” she wryly notes—but this short, intense book can help you focus your own thoughts and feelings on the subject, and that’s a good start.
Customer Reviews
Must read
I think this is beautiful
Do not listen to Luna Birdsong she leaves bad reviews over EVERY SINGLE BOOK I LOOK AT HERE. She is talking crap over an awesome book
Seriously this is dumb
Why talk about race? Unless someone is actually sassing your race by saying “I wish you were still a slave” what is the point of this dumb book quote from Keefe in KOTLC; “335 pages that tell you nothing.”
AKA I had to take my secretly evil neighbor’s cat to the vet to get an intestinal obstruction surgery and this came out of the large intestine; the cat ate it out of a dumpster thinking it was a dead slimy disgusting fish 😉 🐠
To a kindergartner: Happy Holidays! I’d give you a hug if you were in the room! My preferred method of killing is with kindness!
Expertly written
She has such a clear and concise manner that makes her work so easy to enjoy and to explain to others! I appreciate how skillfully she used her personal anecdotes to illustrate larger trends and how graceful she was about “sharing the spotlight” by honoring people who helped her on her own Anti-Racist journey. She’s an excellent wordsmith and I cannot recommend her enough!