Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

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

34 reviews

michellegm15's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Whew. What a journey. First of all, this book is a fabulous and enjoyable read, even though the topics covered therein are often complex, infuriating, and devastating. Not an easy task to pull off.

This book has also definitely given me a lot of education about white male supremacy. I learned a lot of history I either hadn't been taught or hadn't been shown from the angle of white male supremacy. It makes a STRONG case that white male supremacy is what America was built on and that it has wreaked havoc, violence, and oppression on too many people (including, in some ways, white men themselves) for far too long and that we need to work toward dismantling it rather than putting our efforts toward gaining closer proximity from it. White men, generally speaking, need to learn to develop a sense of identity based on healthier ideals. I also felt both schooled as a white person and validated as a woman. I hope a lot of people read this book. It really needed to be written, and it was incredibly brave of the author to write it AND to give it the title it has. To push against white male supremacy while it works tirelessly to punish her and her family for her work is courageous. I'm grateful she put this out into the world!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Antisemitism, and Bullying

shelbo's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is incredible and everyone should read it. A thoroughly researched history of white male supremacy in the USA, presented in a digestible manner. A lot of the content is understandably dark and upsetting, but Oluo managed to make me laugh through my righteous anger multiple times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Minor: Xenophobia, Suicide, Police brutality, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, and Gun violence

vvoman_of_darkness's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia

magicalrealem's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 

Ijeoma Oluo is brilliant and so is Mediocre. I finished this book in mid-February and have tried writing a review, but I don’t think I can do the book justice. It’s a critically important work; what Oluo analyzes and discusses is vital. I wanted to underline every sentence.  This book examines how everything “works according to design.” America and its systems were designed by elite white men through violence, exploitation, and oppression to benefit them and only them. White elites’ greatest con is making middle-to-lower class white men think they have an opportunity at wealth and power, and when they don't, they turn to women and people of color, especially black women, and blame those groups for their situations and lack of opportunity. White supremacy is dangerous not only to women and people of color but also to white men and all progress. Oluo discusses: the violence of Westward expansion and the foundations it laid, the toxicity of Bernie Bros and male feminists, housing covenants, glass cliffs, the great migration and anti-Black violence, higher education, the power dynamics in college and pro football, and the list goes on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Antisemitism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

leekaufman's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Violence

meganelise's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Antisemitism, Sexism, Hate crime, and Gun violence

Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Excrement

molsreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism

keenanmaree's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is incredibly important. It should be required reading for everyone. It is difficult and appalling, but also surprisingly optimistic that, even after all of the damage white male supremacy has done to our society, and despite how deeply engrained it is, there is still hope that we can do and BE better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

sydneyj's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Antisemitism, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia

goldengirlbookclub's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism