sujata's review
5.0
Some poems. More vignettes. Too many of which are familiar to my own experience both comfortable and discomfiting.
rachelemm's review against another edition
4.0
I previously read and loved Citizen and Don't Let Me Be Lonely by Claudia Rankine so was very excited to read Just Us by the same author. Just Us feels much more personal and intimate than Rankine's previous books did. She brings us along as she carries out conversations with friends, colleagues and strangers about race in America. She confronts white people with their privilege and is at times disappointed by the responses she receives but always remains open. Ultimately, I think that is what this book invites its readers to do. Rankine is asking us to start conversations about race with people in our lives and see where it takes us. In doing so, we may learn something new, we may realise how far we have to go but we will at the very least be further ahead in the work of becoming an anti-racist world than if we remain silent.
I will add that if you are interested in this book, I would strongly recommend you get it in physical form. The book uses mixed media i.e. images, quotes, excerpts, tweets, emails etc. and I found that reading this on my Kindle I missed some of the power of having the images alongside the text as a direct comparison.
In the physical version, my understanding is the text appears on one side of the book with the images on the other side and that with each page turn you see the images in direct conversation with the text. I feel that not consuming the book in this format lessened my reading experience slightly so I will definitely be getting a physical copy of this so I can revisit this work and see if reading it in this format enriches my experience in any way.
I will add that if you are interested in this book, I would strongly recommend you get it in physical form. The book uses mixed media i.e. images, quotes, excerpts, tweets, emails etc. and I found that reading this on my Kindle I missed some of the power of having the images alongside the text as a direct comparison.
In the physical version, my understanding is the text appears on one side of the book with the images on the other side and that with each page turn you see the images in direct conversation with the text. I feel that not consuming the book in this format lessened my reading experience slightly so I will definitely be getting a physical copy of this so I can revisit this work and see if reading it in this format enriches my experience in any way.
hanakorc's review against another edition
5.0
This is so different and SO GREAT. I could read this five times and continue to enjoy it and find new and different ideas to wrestle with.
Just Us is a collection of anecdotes, research, pictures, therapy sessions, poems, and diary-like entries. The end of each chapter has extensive footnotes and fact-checking. The book centers around race and privilege as told by the author, Claudia Rankine, a black woman. It is unlike any other book I've read in this space. The mix of the relational, emotional, and scientific was captivating.
I would highly recommend this! I'd also recommend reading it as a book because of the pictures and extensive footnotes.
Just Us is a collection of anecdotes, research, pictures, therapy sessions, poems, and diary-like entries. The end of each chapter has extensive footnotes and fact-checking. The book centers around race and privilege as told by the author, Claudia Rankine, a black woman. It is unlike any other book I've read in this space. The mix of the relational, emotional, and scientific was captivating.
I would highly recommend this! I'd also recommend reading it as a book because of the pictures and extensive footnotes.
magdon's review
5.0
beautiful thoughtful generous thought-provoking writing. also, check out the hard cover book if you can-- equally gorgeous.
girlglitch's review against another edition
4.0
Just Us is a thought-provoking collection of poetry and essays on the topic of white privilege. There are not all that many texts that take on the topic of racism from this perspective, but it's an important angle to address.
Rankine's personal spin on the topic is both her strength and her weakness. Her anecdotes act as anchors, making the theoretical tangible and immediate. She has a wonderful talent for explaining the ubiquitous in a way that's so clear and concise, it's like you're seeing it for the first time. But I did get a little tired about hearing about 'a friend'. I appreciate the anonymity may be a necessity, but it does distance you from some deeply personal experiences, and I don't remember feeling quite the same disconnect from Rankine's previous collections.
Just Us is an essential and eye-opening read, and a timely book for 2020.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Rankine's personal spin on the topic is both her strength and her weakness. Her anecdotes act as anchors, making the theoretical tangible and immediate. She has a wonderful talent for explaining the ubiquitous in a way that's so clear and concise, it's like you're seeing it for the first time. But I did get a little tired about hearing about 'a friend'. I appreciate the anonymity may be a necessity, but it does distance you from some deeply personal experiences, and I don't remember feeling quite the same disconnect from Rankine's previous collections.
Just Us is an essential and eye-opening read, and a timely book for 2020.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
ckkurata529's review
4.0
This would have been easier for me to have read a hard copy because there were numerous footnotes in each chapter.
The author very critically examines systems, as well as relating personal experiences and conversations with friends and acquaintances. Some chapters echo ideas I’ve read extensively about, while others offered a new lens or perspective.
The author very critically examines systems, as well as relating personal experiences and conversations with friends and acquaintances. Some chapters echo ideas I’ve read extensively about, while others offered a new lens or perspective.
kjackso's review against another edition
5.0
Petition to replace all corporate diversity training with a mandatory reading list that definitely includes everything Claudia Rankine has ever written