Reviews tagging 'Death'

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo

15 reviews

pages_with_panda's review against another edition

emotional informative

5.0

Just when I thought America couldn't surprise me, I pick up this book and realize how wrong I am. 

I loved the way Oluo began from the very inception of America and moved chronology (for the most part) into 2021. 

Her stories were easy to follow; from white cowboys to politicians through the ages. She picks specific people who would be the best examples of white mediocrity and tells their stories - bringing to light different racists that I honestly didn't know about it. She's also very careful to cite all her sources - nothing but facts here. 

I also appreciated her inclusionary language - This isn't just a book for Black readers, she mentions ways that Indigenous people, all BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA people have been hurt by white mediocracy.  

I also loved her writing style not being totally detached from the quotes she was forced to share from racist white men. Her comments and insight made this heavy book a little lighter to read. 

100% recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Child death, and Police brutality

Minor: Mass/school shootings and Suicide

leahp87's review against another edition

challenging informative

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Suicide and Violence

mads_jpg's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

An amazing and infuriating read, my only issue is one that I have with most nonfiction books, which is that I wish they took a more international approach rather than just America. But I don't blame the author for that, and if you're gonna pick a country to examine white supremacy, America would be the one...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Death, Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Colonisation, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

haileybones's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Emotional abuse, Racism, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Mental illness

shadereads's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Police brutality and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer, Mass/school shootings, and Excrement

maxgdy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Sexism, Antisemitism, Police brutality, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Xenophobia

traciereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, and Hate crime

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Police brutality, Misogyny, Murder, and Slavery

Minor: Antisemitism, Cursing, and Islamophobia

aqtbenz's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Murder, Hate crime, Gun violence, Death, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia

emfass's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Ijeoma Oluo is simply one of the best writers writing today. In both this and So You Want to Talk About Race, she takes very tough and complex issues and makes them accessible. She is thorough and thoughtful and I honestly could have read another 100 pages or more of this book. It was also incredibly impactful to listen to the audiobook and hear Oluo's words in her own voice.

The introduction and conclusion chapters are vibrant and necessary overviews of the violence and harm caused by white male supremacy in the U.S. The chapters in between cover related topics by way of specific stories throughout American history. I deeply appreciated the unpacking of these important moments, and in particular the historic events I've lived through. 

Especially eye-opening to me were:
-the stories of Buffalo Bill and the Bundy brothers (Chapter 1)
-an exploration of Bernie bros (Chapter 2, possibly my favorite section of the book, as it helped put to words so many things I've sensed but didn't know how to say)
-the history of access (or lack thereof) to higher education in the U.S. (Chapter 3)
-the horrific tactics that white people used to try to keep Black people from leaving in the post-Reconstruction South (Chapter 4)
-the "problem" of women in the workforce after World War II (Chapter 5)
-the Squad's political career as women of color in Congress (Chapter 6)
-the racist history of football in the U.S. and the tidal wave of backlash that follows when players (including Colin Kaepernick and Michael Bennett) try to use their voice for change (Chapter 7)

Throughout the book, Oluo also shares many instances of the cruel, unjust, horrifying abuse she has endured as a Black woman writing very visibly about racial, feminist, and social justice issues. She does it not for pity, but I think as firsthand examples of the lengths white men will go to when they feel threatened.

I highly recommend this to everybody.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicide, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Genocide

Moderate: Antisemitism, Bullying, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Excrement

sidbookreviews's review against another edition

challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the most important books, and one of my most favourite non-fiction books that I have read in quite some time. Mediocre is a sharp, challenging, nuanced, multifaceted, clear and effective book that serves as a history and examination of white male supremacy in America and a scathing look at the systems of power it has created. So much is covered in this book, with historical and present examples of how white male supremacy has affected everything from the economy to the environment to politics and general society. Mediocre is everything I hoped for when reading the title and more. It's no question that Oluo is immensely talented and this book is a truly fantastic piece. Seldom do I adore non-fiction as much as I did this book. I think it's also worth noting that I read this as an audiobook, which I would highly recommend, as it's read by Oluo herself and is a very powerful and passionate reading. Overall, I can't recommend Mediocre enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Death