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here_goes_books's review against another edition
4.0
I've often found that learning about feminism is a lot like getting glasses for the first time. Everything becomes so much more detailed! Nuances begin to pop out at you. You can't help but be stunned for a minute or two on all that you didn't understand before.
Remi Eddo-Lodge is a gosh darn brilliant optometrist and her book, "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race" is your new prescription.
Focusing on race relations in the United Kingdom, Eddo-Lodge takes readers on a historic and cultural tour of the island nation's torrid relationship with race. She examines the slave trade and after effects Britian's former empire which helps to explain current xenophobia and the Brexit. She points out current gentrification and the lip service from current leaders in power.
Again you spend a few minutes stunned by all that you never truly fully comprehended before you put these glasses on. Here's hoping that with your new vision you can help other see and begin asking questions (at least) on remaining racist institutions and structures.
Remi Eddo-Lodge is a gosh darn brilliant optometrist and her book, "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race" is your new prescription.
Focusing on race relations in the United Kingdom, Eddo-Lodge takes readers on a historic and cultural tour of the island nation's torrid relationship with race. She examines the slave trade and after effects Britian's former empire which helps to explain current xenophobia and the Brexit. She points out current gentrification and the lip service from current leaders in power.
Again you spend a few minutes stunned by all that you never truly fully comprehended before you put these glasses on. Here's hoping that with your new vision you can help other see and begin asking questions (at least) on remaining racist institutions and structures.
sarahbc93_'s review against another edition
4.0
I’ve had this book sat on my shelves for an embarrassingly long time, and it was literally only because I saw it in the 2 for 1 selection on audible and realised it was short enough to listen to during one of my shifts, that I thought I would finally get around to reading it.
And I have to say that I’m glad that I did.
The first chapter where it focuses on the history of Black people in Britain both during and after the period of the transatlantic slave trade, going right up to the modern day. While there were elements of this history that I already knew, there were a few things that I didn’t know and was quite surprised to learn. It is correct that the history of Black Britons is almost never mentioned or discussed in any way, shape or form in this country so we tend to imagine that Black people suddenly appeared here which, as is proven later in the book, tends to cause more upset and racial tensions.
When Black history is taught in Britain, it’s almost always in a glancing mention towards the American civil rights movement, as if that is the only Black history that matters. So it’s no surprise that there are so many uninformed people who have no idea what it means to be Black or a Person of colour in Britain.
I’ve seen so many comments about this book, raving about the title and the perceived tone of the contents, raging at bring told that your worldview is not the norm, is not the baseline for everyone else’s experiences. And I’ve seen so many people call this book and it’s author racist, purely because they don’t like having their own privileges pointed out to them, that all it does is just prove the point of the book.
If you’re not mature enough to have the conversation or do the work then sit back down. The world will change around you whether you like it or not.
And I have to say that I’m glad that I did.
The first chapter where it focuses on the history of Black people in Britain both during and after the period of the transatlantic slave trade, going right up to the modern day. While there were elements of this history that I already knew, there were a few things that I didn’t know and was quite surprised to learn. It is correct that the history of Black Britons is almost never mentioned or discussed in any way, shape or form in this country so we tend to imagine that Black people suddenly appeared here which, as is proven later in the book, tends to cause more upset and racial tensions.
When Black history is taught in Britain, it’s almost always in a glancing mention towards the American civil rights movement, as if that is the only Black history that matters. So it’s no surprise that there are so many uninformed people who have no idea what it means to be Black or a Person of colour in Britain.
I’ve seen so many comments about this book, raving about the title and the perceived tone of the contents, raging at bring told that your worldview is not the norm, is not the baseline for everyone else’s experiences. And I’ve seen so many people call this book and it’s author racist, purely because they don’t like having their own privileges pointed out to them, that all it does is just prove the point of the book.
If you’re not mature enough to have the conversation or do the work then sit back down. The world will change around you whether you like it or not.
catycliu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
iulia619's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
A brilliant, informative book, covering racism, classism, feminism and other contemporary social issues a lot of people are facing today. Necessary read for everyone and impactful as an audio book.
rlebrun's review against another edition
4.0
A real “just shut up and listen”. Read this book, work to understand someone else’s lived experience on this same earth. “White privilege is the fact that if you’re white, your race will most certainly positively impact your life’s trajectory and you probably won’t even notice”
chelsbels's review against another edition
5.0
Stop!
Whatever you are reading, doing, whatever and read this book.
It’s amazing!!! The chapter on feminism is brilliant!
In comparison to writing it’s similar to Invisible Women, bit of course centred around race. That is to say each chapter is well thought out, with statistics, personal stories, the author’s experience and a great argument.
The book is so well written, that I would read anything the author writes. Regardless of subject. And even though this topic maybe difficult for some, mostly white people, the text and prose are so well done that you can read this and absorb it well. Unlike a lecture style dry book.
Must READ
Whatever you are reading, doing, whatever and read this book.
It’s amazing!!! The chapter on feminism is brilliant!
In comparison to writing it’s similar to Invisible Women, bit of course centred around race. That is to say each chapter is well thought out, with statistics, personal stories, the author’s experience and a great argument.
The book is so well written, that I would read anything the author writes. Regardless of subject. And even though this topic maybe difficult for some, mostly white people, the text and prose are so well done that you can read this and absorb it well. Unlike a lecture style dry book.
Must READ
carrietmills's review against another edition
4.0
I learned so much from this book! Growing up in the United States, I developed extreme tunnel vision around understanding the history of race and oppression in my own country and its devastating, reverberating impact. In college, I took courses that explored the truth of slavery and its modern legacy in the Caribbean and West Africa. But without a doubt, this is the first book I have ever read that delves into the history and nuances of race in Britain. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I didn't know, but I'll happily own it because this book gave me so much in return.
Eddo-Lodge's writing style amplifies the content. She dissects bad logic with outlandish but well-suited metaphors that bounce between providing a little snarky humor and genuinely driving home her point. The book moves quickly and covers a lot of ground across the pages, but peppered throughout are sudden deep dives into specific cases/examples/instances - each one carefully dissected to show the layers upon layers that complicate it. Eddo-Lodge also embeds short examples from her life, and often compares recent events to her own timeline. That personal flare made the book read more intimately than a standard non-fiction text.
I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone, regardless of where you grew up. The arguments that Eddo-Lodge passionately presents in the book hold meaning anywhere that race informs power.
Eddo-Lodge's writing style amplifies the content. She dissects bad logic with outlandish but well-suited metaphors that bounce between providing a little snarky humor and genuinely driving home her point. The book moves quickly and covers a lot of ground across the pages, but peppered throughout are sudden deep dives into specific cases/examples/instances - each one carefully dissected to show the layers upon layers that complicate it. Eddo-Lodge also embeds short examples from her life, and often compares recent events to her own timeline. That personal flare made the book read more intimately than a standard non-fiction text.
I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone, regardless of where you grew up. The arguments that Eddo-Lodge passionately presents in the book hold meaning anywhere that race informs power.
agathe_'s review against another edition
- lien USA- GB. Différences, similarités avec le Mexique ? "We relied heavily on the American narrative as a tool to find ourselves." Désinformation en conséquence. Reni Eddo-lodge effectue ce travail de réinformation. Post-WWI race riots, colour bars à Nottingham, "nigger hunters", mouvements des droits civiques britanniques ("league of coloured people"), recherche académique sur les couples mixtes, race relations act... Influence des USA (pays avec la même langue que le RU et avec un lien fort): "'Mugging' was an American term, imported from police statements and press coverage in black-concentrated cities. The fear of mugging was imported, too." "taking their lead from the United States, the police began to enact a new strategy." "While the black British history is starved of oxygen, the US struggle against racism is globalised into the story of the struggle against racism that we should look to for inspiration - eclipsing the Black British story so much that we convince ourselves that Britain has never had a problem with race."
- "because history is written by the winners, evidence of police harassment of people of colour in the early 1980s is hard to come by." // Saul Alinsky. Elle donne ensuite des séries de faits divers révélateurs.
Liens avec l'actualité:
- scandale du Windrush actuellement
- affaire Stephen Lawrence survenue en 1993 alors qu'il y a encore des updates aujourd'hui (enquetes sur le laxisme de la police)
- En faveur de la discrimination positive: "Opposing positive discrimination based on apprehensions about getting the best person for the job means inadvertently revealing what you think talent looks like, and the kind of person in which you think talent resides. Because, if the current system worked correctly, and if hiring practices were successfullt recruiting and promoting the right people for the right jobs in all circumstances, I seriously doubt that so many leadership positions would be occupied by white middle-aged men. Those who insist on fairness fail to recognise that the current state of play is far from fair."
- White privilege as an absence of the negative consequences of racism, an absence of "less likely to succeed because of my race"
- "there is an unattributed definition of racism that defines it as prejudice plus power"
- problème des enfants de couleur adoptés mal préparés au racisme par des parents blancs
- "why don't white people think they have a racial identity?"
- déséquilibre critiques du racisme / racist statements dans les médias en termes de passion
- intersectionality: tt le monde n'expérimente pas la discrimination de la même façon.
- "when we think about inequality, we are encouraged to think of both race and class as distinct and separate. They're not."
- "because history is written by the winners, evidence of police harassment of people of colour in the early 1980s is hard to come by." // Saul Alinsky. Elle donne ensuite des séries de faits divers révélateurs.
Liens avec l'actualité:
- scandale du Windrush actuellement
- affaire Stephen Lawrence survenue en 1993 alors qu'il y a encore des updates aujourd'hui (enquetes sur le laxisme de la police)
- En faveur de la discrimination positive: "Opposing positive discrimination based on apprehensions about getting the best person for the job means inadvertently revealing what you think talent looks like, and the kind of person in which you think talent resides. Because, if the current system worked correctly, and if hiring practices were successfullt recruiting and promoting the right people for the right jobs in all circumstances, I seriously doubt that so many leadership positions would be occupied by white middle-aged men. Those who insist on fairness fail to recognise that the current state of play is far from fair."
- White privilege as an absence of the negative consequences of racism, an absence of "less likely to succeed because of my race"
- "there is an unattributed definition of racism that defines it as prejudice plus power"
- problème des enfants de couleur adoptés mal préparés au racisme par des parents blancs
- "why don't white people think they have a racial identity?"
- déséquilibre critiques du racisme / racist statements dans les médias en termes de passion
- intersectionality: tt le monde n'expérimente pas la discrimination de la même façon.
- "when we think about inequality, we are encouraged to think of both race and class as distinct and separate. They're not."