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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.5 stars. Great information and many illuminating anecdotes that help white people uncover their own privilege and see the systematic racism around them--in a writing style that becomes increasingly grating.
No. I had high hopes for Tim Wise. But this book is a big no.
I get that it’s supposed to be a memoir but it’s more like an autobiography filled with bragging recounts. His White Superiority complex (I.e. Wise’s ego) is unbearable. There are several “I’ve had black friends my whole life so I know more than most” accounts as well as “you are accidentally racist so I will shame you for it instead of trying to teach you” moments. And he shares these as reasons to BRAG. It’s frustrating and outdated.
Only giving one star opposed to zero stars because there are a small handful of “truth bombs” he shares throughout the book that parallel with his life experiences. As well as, this book was written in 2004– so I’m hoping that his newer works are drastically better. And unlike him, I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can learn and still has room to grow. I also respect the work he did for the anti racism movement in the 90s. But I am immensely disappointed and mildly disgusted.
I get that it’s supposed to be a memoir but it’s more like an autobiography filled with bragging recounts. His White Superiority complex (I.e. Wise’s ego) is unbearable. There are several “I’ve had black friends my whole life so I know more than most” accounts as well as “you are accidentally racist so I will shame you for it instead of trying to teach you” moments. And he shares these as reasons to BRAG. It’s frustrating and outdated.
Only giving one star opposed to zero stars because there are a small handful of “truth bombs” he shares throughout the book that parallel with his life experiences. As well as, this book was written in 2004– so I’m hoping that his newer works are drastically better. And unlike him, I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can learn and still has room to grow. I also respect the work he did for the anti racism movement in the 90s. But I am immensely disappointed and mildly disgusted.
Good book. Gave personal accounts of how white privilege plays out in real time. Provoked a lot of thought on my white privilege and how I can take steps to acknowledge and dismantle a system that doesn't serve all.
A necessary but perhaps not groundbreaking read. Wise manages to encapsulate and explain the experience of being white and the privilege that is inherently carried with it. Throughout the memoir, various strong points are made. However, I believe his intended audience is more geared towards those who have spent very little time thinking about or engaging with race. Some of the sections seemed rather facile. Perhaps this was Wise's tone, which at certain points sounded simultaneously condescending and ingratiating. Worth reading and perhaps sharing with those who don't typically discuss what it means to be white.
An honest and introspective look at one White man's life and how privilege has affected his life and his family's life, and the ways it's damaged and disadvantaged the underprivileged communities around them. It's shocking at times to realize the ways that racist thought and attitudes affect even the most well-meaning of us White folks, but a great reminder that the work of anti-racism is never done, and we must always be self-aware. Countless thought-provoking stories, and just as helpful, strategies for how to recognize, work through, and better our own perspectives and behaviors. If all of us White folks could be so self-aware we might be true allies for our Black and Brown friends and family.
I didn't love this book.
The good:
- Wise's strong relationship to place, especially New Orleans and Nashville
- Illuminating reflections on Hurricane Katrina and David Duke's various political campaigns
- I learned things I had not known about Jewish faith and practice, especially as it relates to class and whiteness in the US
The bad:
- the way Wise depicted racist white people as cartoonish (comparing them to sitcom characters, mocking their appearance, calling white women "Buffy," remarking on how "cute" sorority girls were in their scrunchies. Don't get me wrong-- all those people deserved to be called on their shit. But mocking their appearance is lazy, and makes me think that Wise is deeply uncomfortable at being associated with them and needs to prove that he is more evolved. He took the easy way out. I wish he'd engaged with his discomfort instead; it would have made those sections much more impactful.
- The bizarre section of Wise pulling a "gotcha!" moment on a guy telling a racist joke by claiming he's biracial (he's not)
- Wise's ego. Yikes.
- The section where he refers to a "prank" that some white pilots played on flight attendants (stripping down to their underwear and inviting them into the cockpit). WTF. That's not a prank. That's workplace sexual harassment.
- Wise barely notes how much he failed upwards because of his race *and* gender, but man. It's clear.
Tldr, there are some great books examining whiteness. This isn't one of them.
The good:
- Wise's strong relationship to place, especially New Orleans and Nashville
- Illuminating reflections on Hurricane Katrina and David Duke's various political campaigns
- I learned things I had not known about Jewish faith and practice, especially as it relates to class and whiteness in the US
The bad:
- the way Wise depicted racist white people as cartoonish (comparing them to sitcom characters, mocking their appearance, calling white women "Buffy," remarking on how "cute" sorority girls were in their scrunchies. Don't get me wrong-- all those people deserved to be called on their shit. But mocking their appearance is lazy, and makes me think that Wise is deeply uncomfortable at being associated with them and needs to prove that he is more evolved. He took the easy way out. I wish he'd engaged with his discomfort instead; it would have made those sections much more impactful.
- The bizarre section of Wise pulling a "gotcha!" moment on a guy telling a racist joke by claiming he's biracial (he's not)
- Wise's ego. Yikes.
- The section where he refers to a "prank" that some white pilots played on flight attendants (stripping down to their underwear and inviting them into the cockpit). WTF. That's not a prank. That's workplace sexual harassment.
- Wise barely notes how much he failed upwards because of his race *and* gender, but man. It's clear.
Tldr, there are some great books examining whiteness. This isn't one of them.
informative