Reviews tagging 'Violence'

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

25 reviews

shivane's review against another edition

4.5

I enjoyed reading this book for a different perspective on white supremacy, specifically the chapter on male feminists and Bernie bros. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Sexism, and Violence

stefani13's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Racism

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

hannahollihan's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Sexism, Rape, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Police brutality, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, and Gun violence

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

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