THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERFOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARBLACKWELL’S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR A BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE ‘Essential’ Marlon James, Man Booker Prize-Winner 2015‘One of the most important books of 2017’ Nikesh Shukla, editor of The Good Immigrant‘A wake-up call to a … 2015
‘One of the most important books of 2017’ Nikesh Shukla, editor of The Good Immigrant
‘A wake-up call to a country in denial’ Observer
In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’.
Her words hit a nerve. The post went viral and comments flooded in from others desperate to speak up about their own experiences. Galvanised by this clear hunger for open discussion, she decided to dig into the source of these feelings. Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.
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This is a little different from the other books I’ve recommended. I just read it for research (a later book in our series will include a black male point of view character). Despite the provocative title (which, if you weren’t aware, is the name of a blog post by the author that is the catalyst for the book’s existence), the book is all about how to talk to everyone about race. It takes big, complex historical and cultural realities and articulates them clearly and passionately, and I’d recommend it to anyone.
Thought long and hard about this one! Had a re-read this summer. Such bravery, in-depth thought-provoking research and sheer eloquence needs bumping up from a 4.5 to a 5 star. Highly recommended.
Finally got around to reading this book and I wasn’t disappointed. Over the course of only 180 pages, Reni Eddo-Lodge lays out the issues with the way we talk about race and racism in modern British society and the flawed discussions around history, class and gender that often accompany it. It was so illuminating to read a book like this that focused on the Black British experience. I’ve seen so many people claiming that they don’t understand why #blacklivesmatter has taken off in the U.K. because ‘that’s an American problem, we don’t have that here.’ This book is a thorough rebuke of that attitude. I found Eddo-Lodges’ section on history absolutely fascinating. I’m not native to Britain so much of the information about the Bristol bus boycott, the death of Stephen Lawrence and Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade was new to me (though in my defence, it was also new to a lot of native born Brits I later asked about it!). I also thought her section on white feminism was spot on – it feels so obvious when she says it but I had never spotted the cognitive dissonance between ‘feminists’ who are able to understand and argue against the pervasiveness of patriarchy, discriminatory pay and hiring practices, issues with all male panels etc. but when similar issues relating to race are brought up they seem to become selectively deaf or firm believers in the myth of meritocracy! I read this book as part of a social justice book club I started at my work and I’m now really looking forward to the discussion we’ll be having about it next week.
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This is such an important conversation. It made me reflect on a lot of things that usually go unnoticed in my day-to-day life.
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As promised, I finished Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race and it was a five star read for me. In my studies, I read and hear a lot about American racism, but the British part of my studies always stays coy. Books like this one or Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch are giving me new (for me) things to consider. One of the most WOW moments in this book was the last question of the interview she shared. I was stunned at how this man (read the book to find out who it is) can say such things to another person.
I’m incredibly glad that I purchased both Brit(ish) and WINLTTWPAR in Sheffield at Blackwell’s (the university’s bookshop). I miss it. I don’t remember Waterstones having Brit(ish) and Reni’s book up front like they did.