Reviews with content warning for Racism - Warum ich nicht länger mit Weißen über Hautfarbe spreche

A lot of this seems like a rant and is much more autobiographical than about general racism. I think it would make a lot more sense if i knew who she (the author) was, so I probably only recommend it if you already know her and know about her personal experiences.

All the actual stuff about racism seems so surface level and obvious (eg stop and search is racist, intersectional feminism is good), like it doesn’t delve into why this institutional racism exists or how it affects everyone. She just says some anecdotal examples. But I guess she’s not a political theorist so that’s why it’s all about her. But I just don’t like that.

She also has the opinion of “all White people are unconsciously racist” which I don’t think is a beneficial argument, especially when she barely explains what her definition of racism is. But whatever ig.

Also from the title you might assume it is about racism overall, but it is actually very Black-specific, with only slight references to other ethnic minorities. But again, it all comes down to the book basically being autobiographical instead of actually about racism in general.

I think maybe if you’re completely new to ideas of White privilege and you don’t know what institutional racism is, then reading this would be like eye-opening for you (as it seems to be for many other reviewers). But if you already know that (or literally have ever done basic sociology) this book is not worth it, it is just saying obvious things in really no depth at all.

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viviundworte's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

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glittery_phoenix's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

This is an incredible, world-view shifting book that should be an essential read for every Brit.

It conceptualises terms like race, racism, prejudice, colourism, intersectionality and institutional racism..... But it does so in a way that is not only digestible to the reader but creates a tangible mental map of how everything is connected.

Touching on topics from history- the Atlantic slave trade to individual cases of assault, police brutality and injustice. This helps to explain the bigger picture of how things came to be, but also cultural turning points that had huge influence on the culture of Britian.

As someone from Liverpool I was very aware of our city's dark past with slavery, but the way Reni brings to life this history is brilliantly insightful while still rightfully difficult to learn about.

I felt privileged to be taken on the journey of the author from her childlike innocence up to the empowering and beautifully eloquent woman she is at the time of writing.

No review can do this justice, I can only implore you to read it. If it makes you uncomfortable then that is all the more reason to not shift your gaze. This book should be essential reading for every British person and anyone, of any race, who cares about understanding life experiences outside their own.

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