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anjasshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Ableism, Classism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Bullying, Racism, and Violence
tiernanhunter's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Cultural appropriation
the_wistful_word_witch's review
5.0
The chapters are laid out thoughtfully and cover a lot of info without being too dry or preachy. Many of her personal anecdotes broke my heart and/or made me enraged. We white folks need to be having these discussions with other white folks so that Black folks don't have to keep dealing with white supremacist bullshit.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Bullying
alexisgarcia's review
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Police brutality, Bullying, Gaslighting, Cursing, and Racial slurs
alyssa_s10's review
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Moderate: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Ableism
Minor: Emotional abuse
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Classism, Body shaming, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, and Racial slurs
anniereads221's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Hate crime, Child death, Classism, Racial slurs, Bullying, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Racism, Ableism, Sexism, and Misogyny
skudiklier's review against another edition
5.0
So, that said: I feel like a lot of books on race/racism and related topics (policing, the criminal punishment system, racial justice) often lean towards either A) being too broad and not challenging enough, so that (white) people can feel like they understand without ever being made to feel uncomfortable, or B) starting from a place of understanding farther along in the process so that they maybe end up preaching to the choir a bit, because very few people will fully read them who weren't already in agreement. There are benefits to this and I'm not saying books in that second category aren't necessary and useful--they very much are. But still, I wouldn't recommend them to my older family members, for instance, or to people who want to understand but just don't get it yet.
This book, in my (again, definitely white) opinion, strikes a really good balance between those two sides. It very clearly and unapologetically lays out hard truths and things that might make readers uncomfortable, especially white readers who haven't had to think much about their own racism or complicity in white supremacy. However, it also argues so well a lot of the common points people make. Like, there are some people close to me who I've had conversations with about race where I've ended up frustrated because I couldn't get them to understand what I was trying to say. And this book, again and again, explained things in a way I feel like those people would actually get. I want every white person I've tried to discuss race with (and came away frustrated) to read this book. It's obviously not going to fix everything, but it might get them to a similar page where we can then start to talk about more actions and solutions, rather than getting bogged down in things like why white people can't say the N word or why focusing on addressing class on its own won't solve racism.
tl;dr, So You Want to Talk About Race is full of good, clear, solid explanations for people who are learning this for the first time, or may feel defensive or disinclined to believe basic truths about race and racism.
There are also lots of examples of actionable ways to use privilege for good, help make conversations about race easier, etc. This book is useful for people at many stages of knowledge and experience with racial issues and theories, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested, but especially white people.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Bullying, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Misogyny, and Slavery
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and War
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Bullying
erikabee's review
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism