Reviews

What Does It Mean to Be White?; Developing White Racial Literacy by Robin DiAngelo

alj24's review against another edition

5.0

This book isn't easy to read, and it shouldn't be as a white person. DiAngelo provides a framework to enable white people to see racism as pervasive and interwoven throughout all aspects of our lives. She challenges her readers to reflect on how whiteness and white priviledge have affected their lives and to begin to dismantle this internalized dominance and passive white silence. I got frustrated halfway through reading this, both a little overwhelmed (hello, being a white person who is encouraged not to think about race) and wanting a little active direction. DiAngelo resists this want to jump to immediate conclusions and instead insists that white people do the work of reflecting on their own racism, seeking out leadership from people of color, taking crucile feedback about their racism from people of color, and taking steps to interrupt racism, especially with other white people, whenever we can. I think I may have read this too fast to completely absorb all the information and will probably have to revisit this book again. A tough and challenging but necessary read.

michelleprokott's review against another edition

5.0

How can I eloquently put into words what this book has done for me? My entire life, I have touted myself as a strong and relentless ally in the face of racism and oppression.

Damn, how wrong I was.

Dr. DiAngelo opened my eyes to the lens through which I’ve grown up seeing the world. I didn’t realize how much I needed this book. In order to grow and develop racial literacy, I needed to first understand the WHY behind the historical white perspective and how I could overcome my learned experience to become a better ally.

For anyone who has ever wondered how to step out of the shadows and do the work to fight racism and oppression, this is the book for you. It’s a perfect jumping off point to begin deeper learning and certainly should be followed up with books by people of color and meaningful conversations.

I am so thankful for the book club that I’m a part of, and the fact that this book was our first pick. As luck would have it, we were graced with the author's presence at our final virtual meeting about the book!! Conversing with Dr. DiAngelo was incredibly humbling and helped me to recognize that the antiracism journey is a lifelong commitment.

I’m here for it.

echuk3's review

5.0

This book ought to be mandatory. I went into this book thinking I was well versed in handling conversations surrounding race and then realized I was very wrong. This book is a treasure and really did give me a lot to think about and reframe in my mind. I’ve had a good time sharing what I’ve learned from this book with my grade 6 students- we actually drew our glasses- frames and lenses-and spoke about how our intersectionality positions us in the world. Really terrific, jam packed, crucial book.

halfdozendogs's review

5.0

This book really helped me understand much more about racial inequalities that are unfortunately still present today. Even better, it helped me realize my own white privilege.

mackenzievirginia's review

5.0

4.5

p_tremuloides's review

5.0

In the wake of everything that's happened recently with BLM and Native Lives Matter, I read this book as a way to find more talking (and listening) points to people who are adamantly holding onto racist ideology -- and as a way of re-awakening my own self-awareness about my white privilege. I loved that this book was easy to read, with helpful "remember..." sections parsed out in each chapter highlighting especially important information, and the type of conclusions in each chapter that anyone who has tried desperately to cram information has come to love -- meaning conclusions that could be read as a way of saying, "Oh man, I just had this conversation, and it didn't go as well as I'd have liked, let me review what DiAngelo had to say about that..."

goldandsalt's review

5.0

Just fantastic. While i've been exposed to a lot of this material through my sociology classes, it's one thing to read about racism in an academic article, and it's another thing to read about it in a book meant for a popular audience. I found this book very easy (if not comfortable) to read. It also did a lot to help me develop my own vocabulary and ability to speak about race. I've been consciously trying to increase my race literacy for several years now, but found it exceedingly difficult to talk about it out loud, for fear of saying something wrong. DiAngelo is good at reminding us that we're going to mess up. That we must make mistakes and gracefully learn from them.

I look forward to reading her more recent work.

ivanainthecity's review

5.0

Alternatively titled (for me, at least): How to Talk to White People About Racism

Really didn’t wanna read this, but unfortunately I felt like I needed to given where I work and the people that surround me o. O

Got some great talking points next time people come at me with ignorant bullshit. More white people should read this but probably won’t because white fragility.

a_reflective_reader's review

5.0

Absolutely required for reading if you’re white. I’ve read a lot about race from authors of color, but it’s also good to read about it from someone of your own too. Reading about this from a white woman, who knows her stuff, was relatable and stretched me in ways I needed stretching. Definitely picking up her second book.

harmony's review

3.0

This is very, very much "whiteness 101". If you're just getting started with learning about racial tension and oppression, this is a good book for you. It even includes questions at the end of each chapter to prompt thought or discussion. For someone who has been actively learning these things, it's going to be extremely basic. I'm halfway through and this isn't just review, it's review of stuff I've learned faces in the past now. It's also amazingly expensive and only available in paperback.