Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

11 reviews

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Violence, Slavery, Police brutality, and Death

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

 The Sum of Us looks at institutional racism, discriminatory laws and practices, in the United States, clearly demonstrating what this has cost not just Blacks and other people of colour but white citizens as well. Time and again the author shows how white citizens lost out because people didn’t want Black citizens to receive any benefits. From public pools (We have to allow Blacks to use the public pools -which their taxes helped pay for? Then we’ll close the pools. And maybe sell them for a nominal amount to a private club which will only allow wealthy whites to join. The result? Many whites lost access to swimming pools as well) to workers rights to health care McGhee repeatedly demonstrates the fallacy of the zero sum game. Whites do not have to lose out in order for Blacks to make gains. In fact she cites plenty of evidence and examples showing the gains to be made for all when different races cooperate and work together. Racism costs everybody but if people realise that and work together everybody benefits.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

readandfindout's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Slavery, and Classism

alyssa_s10's review

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I listen to the audio book of this after listen to audio book "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi. This is a great follow-up book. It is very eye opening to the effect of racism in America on all citizens.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

purplepenning's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

There are a lot of excellent "antiracist" reads out right now but if I had the power to grant my friends, family, and colleagues access to and genuine understanding of one, and only one, this would be my pick. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

massivepizzacrust's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

A million stars, I wish everyone would read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Slavery, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Rape

betsygrace's review

informative slow-paced

3.75

I almost gave this a 4 but chose not to! I just felt it was quite slow and as a person who is already pretty self aware and a BIPOC, I didn’t learn many new things. BUT- I think this would be a great pick for someone who is wanting to learn more about social inequities experienced by BIPOC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Police brutality, and Racism

aargot1's review

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Abandonment, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Islamophobia

caseythereader's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to One World Books for the free copy of this book.

 - We know anti-Black racism is at the heart of so much in our country, and in THE SUM OF US, McGhee demonstrates exactly that and then some, using the public pools we white people opted to drain rather than integrate as a metaphor: we'd rather cause pain to everyone than let Black people take even one step up the ladder. Everything from the decline of union organizing to the subprime mortgage crisis has an element of racial animus at the root.
- It's one thing to know white Americans treat life as a zero-sum game, and it's quite another to see it laid out like this. I think if you are a white American, you should read this book. It's a lot to chew on and I think will inform a lot of antiracism work going forward, as you'll be better prepared to look for this side of whatever issue you're working on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia

morgankopanski's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality