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A review by michellegm15
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Whew. What a journey. First of all, this book is a fabulous and enjoyable read, even though the topics covered therein are often complex, infuriating, and devastating. Not an easy task to pull off.
This book has also definitely given me a lot of education about white male supremacy. I learned a lot of history I either hadn't been taught or hadn't been shown from the angle of white male supremacy. It makes a STRONG case that white male supremacy is what America was built on and that it has wreaked havoc, violence, and oppression on too many people (including, in some ways, white men themselves) for far too long and that we need to work toward dismantling it rather than putting our efforts toward gaining closer proximity from it. White men, generally speaking, need to learn to develop a sense of identity based on healthier ideals. I also felt both schooled as a white person and validated as a woman. I hope a lot of people read this book. It really needed to be written, and it was incredibly brave of the author to write it AND to give it the title it has. To push against white male supremacy while it works tirelessly to punish her and her family for her work is courageous. I'm grateful she put this out into the world!
This book has also definitely given me a lot of education about white male supremacy. I learned a lot of history I either hadn't been taught or hadn't been shown from the angle of white male supremacy. It makes a STRONG case that white male supremacy is what America was built on and that it has wreaked havoc, violence, and oppression on too many people (including, in some ways, white men themselves) for far too long and that we need to work toward dismantling it rather than putting our efforts toward gaining closer proximity from it. White men, generally speaking, need to learn to develop a sense of identity based on healthier ideals. I also felt both schooled as a white person and validated as a woman. I hope a lot of people read this book. It really needed to be written, and it was incredibly brave of the author to write it AND to give it the title it has. To push against white male supremacy while it works tirelessly to punish her and her family for her work is courageous. I'm grateful she put this out into the world!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Antisemitism, and Bullying