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graveyardpansy's review against another edition
4.0
Overall this was very good! I really enjoyed the memoir section, but my favourite part is probably the history bit. It was very powerful to read about cities that I live and grew up in, especially as a lot of the civil rights history things I’ve read focus very much on the northeast or west coast. Rarely are there specific discussions of more contemporary race-related history regarding the South, in this case the Triangle, and I really enjoy Segrest’s way of discussing the south as a place of oppression but also one of resistance.
I think the main areas of this book I am not entirely sold on are the lack of integration of trans struggles, which are brushed over multiple times despite definitely being a prevalent movement during the time it was written. However, I definitely understand that not everybody was involved in or aware of trans movements, especially in the south, and I think Segrest likely did not know the extent that trans movements overlapped with other movements, especially with race and class. My other note is that the section about queer Socialism very clearly struggles with a fear of the word communism, which is not surprising, but definitely reflects the impact of the red scare on a lot of civil rights activism.
In literary terms, this was not the /best/ memoir I have ever read, but I still think it is incredibly valuable. For my local folks, I definitely recommend this book, and I would pretty strongly recommend it to everybody regardless. However, if you are reading literature on race, fiction or non-fiction or memoir or otherwise, still be sure to centre Black writers and other people of colour, because while folks like Segrest who have been involved in civil rights for a long time do has valuable things to say, there is nothing Segrest said that I have not learned from my previous readings of Black authors and authors of colour. That is not a negative on Segrest’s part, it’s just important to thoughtfully consume media, and it is definitely related to the way that white people are more open to learning from other white people than they are from POC (which Segrest also talked about!) Memoirs of a Race Traitor is a good read, provided you prioritize POC’s voices and it is not the only antiracist reading you’re doing.
I think the main areas of this book I am not entirely sold on are the lack of integration of trans struggles, which are brushed over multiple times despite definitely being a prevalent movement during the time it was written. However, I definitely understand that not everybody was involved in or aware of trans movements, especially in the south, and I think Segrest likely did not know the extent that trans movements overlapped with other movements, especially with race and class. My other note is that the section about queer Socialism very clearly struggles with a fear of the word communism, which is not surprising, but definitely reflects the impact of the red scare on a lot of civil rights activism.
In literary terms, this was not the /best/ memoir I have ever read, but I still think it is incredibly valuable. For my local folks, I definitely recommend this book, and I would pretty strongly recommend it to everybody regardless. However, if you are reading literature on race, fiction or non-fiction or memoir or otherwise, still be sure to centre Black writers and other people of colour, because while folks like Segrest who have been involved in civil rights for a long time do has valuable things to say, there is nothing Segrest said that I have not learned from my previous readings of Black authors and authors of colour. That is not a negative on Segrest’s part, it’s just important to thoughtfully consume media, and it is definitely related to the way that white people are more open to learning from other white people than they are from POC (which Segrest also talked about!) Memoirs of a Race Traitor is a good read, provided you prioritize POC’s voices and it is not the only antiracist reading you’re doing.
mscalls's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Hate crime, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Drug use, and Cursing
sarahwalton429's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping this would be more philosophy based rather than historical/personal. The real takeaways came in part 2, especially the chapter “a bridge, not a wedge”.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Memoir of a Race Traitor is a lyrically written brutally honest book which is part memoir, part playbook strategy for her fight against racism and homophobia written by Mab Segrest. Originally published in 1994, this reformat and re-release, out 24th Sept 2019 by The New Press, is 319 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions available in other formats).
This was a difficult book for me to read. The prose itself in most of the book is fairly academic and dry, but additionally, I found myself reading and reflecting on the often truly horrific things the author was describing (both historical and recent) and feeling a gut-churning sense of shame and anger and impotent rage. I am afraid and angry, especially in the context of the current political climate, and it feels futile. She wrote the original text 25 years ago, 1994, and here we are again (and not for the first time, either).
Although I found it very difficult to read, I do feel that this is an important book. It's fascinating to see how she draws forth and exposes the intersections of both racism and homophobic politics and the solidifying of power and resources by those who are in control and unwilling to level the playing field or allow anyone who isn't them (largely white male and conservative) to have a voice.
This would be a superlative choice for a reading list for gender studies, American history, and many other related subjects. It is violent and some parts are horrific. My personal experience with the book is anger and sadness that the hundreds of years of violence and hatred represent in lost and wasted effort. Why the hell can't people get along?
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Memoir of a Race Traitor is a lyrically written brutally honest book which is part memoir, part playbook strategy for her fight against racism and homophobia written by Mab Segrest. Originally published in 1994, this reformat and re-release, out 24th Sept 2019 by The New Press, is 319 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions available in other formats).
This was a difficult book for me to read. The prose itself in most of the book is fairly academic and dry, but additionally, I found myself reading and reflecting on the often truly horrific things the author was describing (both historical and recent) and feeling a gut-churning sense of shame and anger and impotent rage. I am afraid and angry, especially in the context of the current political climate, and it feels futile. She wrote the original text 25 years ago, 1994, and here we are again (and not for the first time, either).
Although I found it very difficult to read, I do feel that this is an important book. It's fascinating to see how she draws forth and exposes the intersections of both racism and homophobic politics and the solidifying of power and resources by those who are in control and unwilling to level the playing field or allow anyone who isn't them (largely white male and conservative) to have a voice.
This would be a superlative choice for a reading list for gender studies, American history, and many other related subjects. It is violent and some parts are horrific. My personal experience with the book is anger and sadness that the hundreds of years of violence and hatred represent in lost and wasted effort. Why the hell can't people get along?
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
thelucyjones's review against another edition
4.0
The rereleased edition of this book (2019) includes three parts: Mab Segrest’s memoir, a series of essays titled “On Being White and Other Lies,” and the transcript of a keynote speech delivered in 1993 at a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force conference in Durham.
I appreciated the second two parts of this book about as much as the memoir itself, and found the ideas and writing just as, if not more, compelling. Mab’s story and life, activist and personal, were interesting to me as a white woman living in North Carolina. While I appreciated the depth of detail about her organizing days in the 80s against white supremacist groups in NC, I was also at times bogged down by the details. I’m glad to know the stories and events that she relayed here, but I think I expected the personal reflection to outweigh the fact and detail, which it did not. Despite that, I have a lot of respect for Mab Segrest, and am glad I picked up this book!
I appreciated the second two parts of this book about as much as the memoir itself, and found the ideas and writing just as, if not more, compelling. Mab’s story and life, activist and personal, were interesting to me as a white woman living in North Carolina. While I appreciated the depth of detail about her organizing days in the 80s against white supremacist groups in NC, I was also at times bogged down by the details. I’m glad to know the stories and events that she relayed here, but I think I expected the personal reflection to outweigh the fact and detail, which it did not. Despite that, I have a lot of respect for Mab Segrest, and am glad I picked up this book!
ostrowk's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, haunting memoir of a white lesbian in the south who confronts the legacy of her family as she organizes against the KKK. Super impressive intersectional politics.
kelroka's review against another edition
4.0
Sadly still so, so relevant. Worth a re-read for the new introduction & afterward.
outtoexist's review against another edition
4.0
This was beautifully written in flashes, and confusing for most of it. I was hoping she'd explore more of the intersection between her whiteness & her queerness and how that takes up space in the fight against racism (which is something I'm desperately trying to understand). Even though this wasn't that, it was an incredible telling of an often-hidden period of time. I was brought to tears multiple times by Joyce Sinclair's story and the very concept of her four year old daughter who would be so young today.