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A review by girlglitch
Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine
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*