A review by zephoria
Nice White Ladies: The Truth about White Supremacy, Our Role in It, and How We Can Help Dismantle It by Jessie Daniels

5.0

This book is part memoir, part cultural commentary, designed to invite the reader to grapple with the legacy and presence of whiteness, especially in the US context. Daniels weaves together her own experiences (as the grandchild of a Klansman who was taught countless racist messages) and cases of historical and contemporary incidents of “nice white ladies” to show the reinforcing logics of whiteness. She also leverages an array of scholarly thinking to analyze these dynamics, but her analysis is written in a manner that is truly accessible and compelling to any reader. (Scholars can read the notes at the end of the book.) This book is constructively discomforting such that readers (especially those born white) come away seeing clearly how systems of oppression are maintained even by those seeking to do good. Perhaps her most scathing critique is directed at those involved in feminist movements that are white-dominated. But this is not a book designed to make white readers feel guilty but, rather, to invite them on a journey for transformation. I came away from the book wanting to spend time reflecting deeply about my own history and what I can do to help dismantle the caustic systems that Daniels astutely reveals.