Take a photo of a barcode or cover
185 reviews for:
How to Be Less Stupid about Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide
Crystal M. Fleming
4.36 AVERAGE
185 reviews for:
How to Be Less Stupid about Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide
Crystal M. Fleming
4.36 AVERAGE
I feel like I need to give this to everyone I know
A blunt, unflinching look at structural racism in our society. This is not a dry book - I laughed out loud in a few places - but the author is certainly academically strong and very convincing. It is important to see racism from many viewpoints, and as a queer Black woman, the author brings a different and engaging perspective on the topic. This is one of the best books I have read recently. Highly recommended.
This book is so damn good. It's brilliant, emotionally devastating, world-view changing and like dunking your head in ice cold water. It's a necessary read for all white Americans, and anyone who is ready to face reality and look in the mirror and understand Critical Race Theory.
Based on the title, I thought that this was going to be another primer about, well, exactly what the title says. But it's actually a series of essays about topics such as intersectional feminism, interracial dating, and the history of racism in US political parties (both Democratic and Republican). Fleming lightens the rather academic tone with personal asides and moments of humor, which helps make it more readable. Not exactly what I expecting to read based on the title and blurb, but informative nonetheless.
Great starting point for anyone who wants to learn about race, racism, and white supremacy. Very comprehensive for the page count. This is a book you will want to recommend to family and friends.
This is such a brilliant, eye-opening book! It reads like a good friend sits down with you for an honest, fact-based and emotional talk about racism and white supremacy. Like a really good friend, who doesn't hesitate to make you feel uncomfortable, because it is necessary to do so to move you further toward understanding our racist society, your role in it, and what it means for people of colour. Fleming concludes the book with helpful suggestions on how to take action.
Not what I wanted or expected.
What I loved: The author delivered some great information and concluded with a decent list of action items. The tone and attitude in the last chapter was realistic but encouraging. I appreciated the new insights on a different way to look at the Obama administration and the discouraging but honest look at the media.
What I didn't like: The presentation was problematic for me. I found her writing style to be really wandering; going off on personal or distantly related tangents that had me asking where this was going. I was distracted by how much the author inserted herself into the book and not in particularly helpful ways. It seemed more like boasting or telling sort of irrelevant side stories than contributing to the flow with a personal anecdote. I didn’t care about her Twitter followers, hashtag use, attractiveness, or hobnobbing. The chapter on interracial love talked too much about the author's affairs and not enough about the topic generally. I found the writing style to be very off-putting.
I wished the author focused more on data points. Narrowing it down to those nuggets and the last chapter, I think this book could have been 1/3 the length and a lot more impactful.
She referred often to Stamped From the Beginning by Kendi, which is on my TBR list but has been intimidating due to its size. I think it's time to crack it open. I've read his work before and it may be a better match for me.
What I loved: The author delivered some great information and concluded with a decent list of action items. The tone and attitude in the last chapter was realistic but encouraging. I appreciated the new insights on a different way to look at the Obama administration and the discouraging but honest look at the media.
What I didn't like: The presentation was problematic for me. I found her writing style to be really wandering; going off on personal or distantly related tangents that had me asking where this was going. I was distracted by how much the author inserted herself into the book and not in particularly helpful ways. It seemed more like boasting or telling sort of irrelevant side stories than contributing to the flow with a personal anecdote. I didn’t care about her Twitter followers, hashtag use, attractiveness, or hobnobbing. The chapter on interracial love talked too much about the author's affairs and not enough about the topic generally. I found the writing style to be very off-putting.
I wished the author focused more on data points. Narrowing it down to those nuggets and the last chapter, I think this book could have been 1/3 the length and a lot more impactful.
She referred often to Stamped From the Beginning by Kendi, which is on my TBR list but has been intimidating due to its size. I think it's time to crack it open. I've read his work before and it may be a better match for me.
At times it seemed very academic but was very eye opening and made me question a lot of things, especially the 'liberal' progressive left. I like that it also includes suggestions for things you can do now, small steps to start or continue the journey of unlearning racism and becoming antiracist.
This is an essential book for anyone who is ready to recognize their privilege and the systemic racism in the United States and wants to work on becoming a more intelligent anti racist