Ijeoma Oluo

So You Want to Talk About Race

In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy -- from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans -- has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair -- and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. "Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases." -- National Book Review "Generous and empathetic, yet usefully blunt . . . it's for anyone who wants to be smarter and more empathetic about matters of race and engage in more productive anti-racist action." -- Salon (Required Reading)

Hannah Yoon

This is a good book to start with if you're in a place where you'd like to learn about racism and the role we have in it. At times I found she generalized too much or made some assumptions, but I found it really helpful. I think the different chapters are ways for us to explore more and get a deeper understanding of the various issues that affect people of color in the US.

In this breakout book, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement--offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word."

Syahla Aurel

this book was very eye-opening even from the first chapter, not only Ijeoma talked about the problem but also the possible solution and “what we should do” when we are in a particular racial injustice situation.

Abhimat Gautam

This book helped me better understand issues around race. Being a colored person living in the US, racism is a fact of life I can’t completely escape. But this book was able to fill in gaps in my own experiences and get a more complete understanding of issues with race. I also deeply appreciate how it helped me more precisely formulate my past personal experiences with racism and put them in a broader context. The book is helpful in detailing how to improve all of our approaches when considering issues with race.

I would recommend everyone read this book, particularly white people who better want to understand issues of race and privilege. And ultimately how they can improve their languages and actions, whether implicit or explicit, to be more respectful and work towards equality.

Mia Caven

I learnt a lot reading this even though I feel all clued up sometimes I’m happy to educate myself further. Great writing

Sarah Schumacher

Well written, personal, and with clear directives, this is the book to read if you have questions about racial justice and aren’t sure where to start. I also love Kendi’s How to be an Anti-Racist, but this is an easier read; like talking to a friend.

momo-reads

Some of the chapters seemed super obvious and some hit me in the gut as to how/where I can do better.  We all have a lot of work to do.

"A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today's racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word.""--

So You Want to Talk about Race

I think everyone needs to read this book. Especially, it's a great intro if it is your first time learning about oppression and systemic norms

fc ♡

Anthony

There’s a lot to process here. As a white person, it’s clear I’ve been hiding from the truth around me. I’ve been the “all lives matter” type of person. Our reality isn’t that simple and reading this book is just the start for me. Full review will be posted on my website!

Nast Marrero

This book is a great piece of educational work for anyone that wants to turn their wish for equality into insight and their insight into action.

renee badenoch

Excellent book. A great primer for anyone (especially white people) who wants to begin or further their anti racist training

So you want to talk about race

Victoria Alexandra 

Extremely important lessons. Should be a mandatory read. If you want change, keep educating yourself and start with this book.

jenn kause

This book explained race and other concepts very nicely and smoothly; I liked that the author shared personal experiences because I think for some people that really helps them see perspective rather than simply facts. 
If race is something you’re interesting in learning more about or understanding, I’d definitely recommend this as a starting point with the the approach to the topic.

Clara Moore

This is a must read. Oluo does a fantastic job at presenting issues with real life examples. I had many 'oh!' moments. She not only presents the roots of the problems but examines them and then gives ideas of what you can do to start the work to fight for equality.

Fraser Simons

Extremely clear explanations backed up with examples in every section that elucidate specific points rooted in every day life. It is comprehensive and filled with actionable advice and the reasons behind them. It is an Extremely valuable text.

Kat A

4.5. Part memoir, part explanation, part actionable steps. Best book I've read so far on race and racism.

Cindy Lieberman

A highly accessible treatise on how to recalibrate long-held, often unconscious bias (read: racism). Bottom line: listen. Don’t make it about you. Educate yourself. Check your privilege. Question those in authority who are not taking appropriate (or fast enough) anti-racist steps. These lessons are interspersed with the author’s experiences growing up and raising her sons in Seattle.

Flavia Louise

This was very interesting and reinvigorating in fighting for equal rights and access.

Robin M Cabana

Read this book. There is so much you might not realize about racism and privilege no matter how much you consider yourself antiracist. Ijeoma Oluo’s writing is moving and funny, and you will cry, feel terrible, and maybe even laugh. My heart broke as she described her young son’s contention with the pledge. She calls you out on what you’re doing wrong and what you can do better if you really want to be an ally and support #blacklivesmatter.

Archita Birla

this book is AMAZING!

i would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is interested in better educating themselves. this book is written in such an honest and helpful way!!

i cannot encourage everyone to read it enough!

priya

3.5 stars

I didn’t learn many new ideas from So You Want to Talk About Race, so not a very useful read for me. I would recommend this to be read as one of the first books about racism against African Americans and how to fight against it. Oluo’s structure is very easy to read. I thought I would find myself skimming the lists, since there are so many, but they’re actually well organised and presented in a logical order. 

“Disadvantaged white people are not erased by discussions of disadvantages facing people of color, just as brain cancer is not erased by talking about breast cancer.”

“If you think it’s about race, you are right.”

“It seemed far more important to him that the white people who were spreading and upholding racism be spared the effects of being called racist, than sparing his black friend the effects of that racism.”

“But it upsets us because it exists, not because we talk about it.”

“When we are willing to check our privilege, we are not only identifying areas where we are perpetuating oppression in order to stop personally perpetuating that oppression, but we are also identifying areas where we have the power and access to change the system as a whole.”

“The problem of cultural appropriation is primarily linked to the power imbalance between the culture doing the appropriating and the culture being appropriated. That power imbalance allows the culture being appropriated to be distorted and redefined by the dominant culture and siphons any material or financial benefit of that piece of culture away to the dominant culture, while marginalized cultures are still persecuted for living in that culture.”

“Wife leave you? Pretty sure rap music told her to.”

“Here was my director singling me out, in front of my coworkers, not to shame me, but to shame other black women for making different choices than I was now making. To shame other black women for spending a lot of money to not have to have the embarrassing and demeaning conversation I was now being forced to have. He wanted me to know that he approved of my hair, hair that, finally, was existing outside of his beauty norms. But still, he thought that my hair, growing on my head, from my body, was within his jurisdiction. Still, my hair would be a tool of oppression, even if it was to belittle other black women. My hair still existed for his use. Even then, even in a state as removed from whiteness as it could be, my hair was not my own.”

“Racial trauma is cumulative, and you cannot expect a person of color to react to each situation the way that you would having encountered it for the first time. It may not seem fair that you would take some of the blame for what has happened in the past, but what is truly unfair is the fact that people of color have to endure this every day”

“The model minority myth is not a myth designed to benefit Asian Americans, it was designed to benefit White Supremacy through the exploitation of Asian American labor, the neglect of poor and disenfranchised Asian Americans, the exotification of Asian American culture, the exclusion of Asian Americans from systems of power, the sexual exploitation of Asian American women, and the comparison of the model minority status of Asian Americans to other racial minorities in order to delegitimize the claims of oppression and the struggles of black and Hispanic Americans.”

“Because no matter what we ask for, if it threatens the system of White Supremacy, it will always be seen as too much.”

“To many white people, it appears, there is absolutely nothing worse than being called a racist, or someone insinuating you might be racist, or someone saying that something you did was racist, or somebody calling somebody you identify with racist. Basically, anytime the label of racist touches you at all, it’s the worst thing to happen to anybody anywhere.”

“Your goal is to find out if you are being racist, not to prove that you aren’t, and to resolve a painful situation if possible.”

Caroline Lewicki

If you're looking to strengthen your allyship to the Black Lives Matter movement, or you want to be better educated on race, Ijeoma Oluo's book is an excellent and informative read. She answers frequently asked questions about race (such as "what is intersectionality") and provides tips for what to do if you want to be a better ally to the BIPOC community. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Sahi K

I really don’t want to write a review for this book except saying that just pick it up. It’s a very necessary and eye opening read that’ll make us question our own privilege and perspective, help us understand the futility of being defensive about it, and also make us learn better ways to be an ally to Black people and engage in good faith conversations about racism. 

The author’s writing is both personal and full of facts, straightforward and open, engaging us as a reader in a discussion with her and I found it to be brilliant. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Bahni Turpin who did a marvelous job making the whole experience feel like a dialogue, and I would highly recommend the format. I just felt that listening made me engage with the subject matter in a much more personal manner. Just pick this up because I found it very enlightening and I think you will too.

Maggie Delano

Must read for white folks, especially if you’re nervous about messing up or being called racist. The book is divided into short chapters on various topics that can be referred back to later.

Diesel Cheung

This book is kind of reductionist, the chapter about the model minority myth was poorly written, especially her start admitting that she hasn't and currently doesn't think about Asians in her activism work and all her stats talked about Asians in regard to rich and educated as opposed to talking about the actual poor and working class Asians that are more the majority, also pushing the experience of East Asians to the wayside, making it seem like their issues don't matter, and continued to tokenize different groups, while not actually having an Asian writer contribute anything.

She also is not quite pro-cop, but isn't an abolitionist. She states that black and brown people need better policing, and that the system should be reformed. The system needs to be cut off all the way at the head, and talking about reform isn't going to be helping anyone. It's a racist structure all the way through. 

I was also cringing when she was talking about how she thought that violence was not the answer, and encouraging people to vote and talk to your unions (bold of you to assume I'm allowed to have a union at my workplace). This book was not leftist enough for me and too saturated with her middle class liberalism views on the world.

So You Want to Talk About Race

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