Reviews with content warning for Racism - Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America

I absolutely loved this book, it was difficult at times because the author does cover some pretty heavy topics, but it was so informative and really shined a light on many ways that racism is ingrained in every aspect of American history, and is continuously upheld today. The author also shares her own personal experiences with racism and xenophobia interspersed within the many facts and historical narratives that she tells throughout the book, keeping the book engaging, and allowing the reader to feel more connected to the topics and issues being discussed. She is an incredible writer and I am so grateful that she has chosen to do the difficult work of educating us on these issues when they are things that she struggles with every day

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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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challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

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bgoodbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This book is extremely timely and touches on a lot of topics that are extremely important and that I have not seen covered in other books about racism. It will well researched and touches on higher education, the NFL, abuse of women in the workplace, etc. To me, this book reads a lot like Hood Feminism, which I also enjoyed. It's the perfect mix of facts and story to keep you interested and learning. I think I am one of the few people who read this prior to Oluo's other book but I am very interested in picking it up, as I really admire and appreciate her writing style. I often struggle with nonfiction if it reads like a textbook but I looked forward to picking this book up as I read it. This is an important read and necessary when educating yourself on racial tension in the United States.

My favorite quote is the last line of the book, "We have to not only believe that we deserve better; we have to have faith that we can do better. And we have to start now."

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