White Fragility Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

Very illuminating to read, especially now, during the 2020 police brutality protests and amid a flood of social media posts of white people wondering how they can be better allies. Every time my brain caught on a phrase (in social media) and started arguing about fairness or whatever, I would think of the arguments in this book and confront whatever motion my brain was putting forward. ALSO, anyone who's making the story of the current protests more about the rioting/looting (actions of a few bad actors) than the reason the protests are occuring (systemic racism) is displaying white fragility.

this book is an amazing starting point for anybody who is looking to educate themselves on racism and racist behavior(be it intentional or not).

This was a good book. Quick and informative. Probably a good start for those easing into deeper educational topics such as race. It covers the basics but in an effective way for sure. Although it must be kept in mind that this is written by a white woman. So I also highly recommend books written by POC to actually get their POV.

This covers some very basic anti-racist theory, but seeing how a lot of whites only claim to not be racist rather than actively anti-racist, this is still very much needed. Additionally, a lot of the points of this book (esp. near the end) are well worth rehashing even if you have been active in anti-racism for a while. It’s always good to rehash basics. Additionally, one thing that struck me while listening to this, is how much of this applies across so many other intersections; e.g., male fragility when patriarchy is challenged, straight fragility when heteronormativity is challenged, and cis fragility when gender norms are challenged. I think this is a decent book to get started on in your antiracist (self-)work, but don’t let it be the end of it. I imagine it can be a hard, uncomfortable read if you don’t already acknowledge your internalised racism (and other bigoted biases you’ve been socialised to hold), but that’s really all the more reason to read this. Reflect on it. Learn to acknowledge that you’re a product of a society and that the prevailing messages of that society will have gotten themselves internalised in your “self”.

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT! I listened to this last week on audio book and it is a fantastic book every white person should read/listen to, not being afraid to be uncomfortable and gritty. The narrator really holds herself and whoever is listening accountable. This should be essential reading, honestly.

If only all the white people would read this and start the lifelong work of addressing their white fragility and dismantling racism. Great read, recommend to everyone.

Wow. If you’re white, this should be required reading. So so good.

Difficult to read if you are white. And this is a good thing. Much praise.

Really wish I had picked this up sooner, such a necessary read for white people !!

A good primer for all white people on talking about race.

This week has been a struggle for me. I read this book to specifically understand what would be going through my friends and colleagues minds as I tried to explain to the how the current climate of the world affects me. I will say that this book gave me a much better insight into those thoughts while most of them weren’t a shock to me.

Disclaimer: I'm not white. I read this book to learn about what antiracist content geared towards white people is like.

It's quite good.
This book throws down some serious learnings about understanding the difference between racial prejudice and racism.
I enjoyed the "answers" to common "I'm not racist because X" excuses I've heard used plenty of times.

Extremely valuable as a white person. Should be required reading for all white Americans especially.

The right book at the right time in my becoming educated about racism and all the societal structures that make everyday, ingrained white supremacy (her word) so difficult to overcome. Written by a white diversity trainer, the author shares her ongoing struggles - despite her experience in discussing and teaching race relations - to create a race neutral, bias-free workplace. Most helpful is that she has heard EVERY excuse from white people about how “I am not racist because ....” [I marched in Selma/ I have black friends and coworkers / I don’t see color...etc. ] and then proceeds to break down how exactly racist we ARE because of what our blind and tone-deaf statements and protestations actually imply. Highly recommended!

I think this is a really good starting place for white people. It's thought-provoking and points out a lot issues. It should be required reading.

This book is a necessary read. I will be rereading throughout my lifetime.

Not a nonfiction person, so audiobooks are key. I really think this was helpful in understanding deeper levels of our inherent racism and our feelings around racism (and where those feelings come from) as white people. My only critique would be that it could’ve benefited from more layman’s terms. With that being said, there were a lot of good examples and experiences that made the points the author was making much more understandable. Highly recommend and think all white people who think they’re not racist should read this.

Love how this basically took everything I knew about racism and chucked it out the window. Like, all this time I thought I had to make an active choice to say the n-word whenever I sing along to Caroline or call someone with dark skin and curly hair ugly to be considered racist. Turns out it's a system that we are born into and demonizing it only makes it harder for us to accept our complicity. As important as these points were, I felt like the author was very repetitive...... like she was just making use of the same concepts and changing up the word choice/sentence structure..... so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have wanted to! And I kinda wish I did support a BIPOC author instead but anyway

This book is a must read for every (white) person to understand how our white fragility can lead to indirect racism and to understand why we white people need to be more aware of our white privileges and why we need to act more !!!!

So I think this is a pretty solid jumping off point into anti-racist reading, but I also just read a response to it by John McWhorter, who I very much respect, that shed some different light on a lot of this book. It is difficult that it is written by a white person. I definitely have a lot more reading and learning to do.

Es cierto que es escrito por una autora blanca, pero aun así, el tema que aborda es relevante y lo que dice es real. El tema racismo, es algo sobre lo que debemos reflexionar y tomar acciones, por lo que esta es una de muchas instancias de educación que son necesarias. Algo muy importante es no solo quedarse en la lectura de este libro, eso solo no alcanza.

Good when paired with other social Justice/anti-racist books. This is pretty much just primarily why people get defensive. It is somewhat actionable but certainly one piece of the puzzle.

“The simplistic idea that racism is limited to individual intentional acts committed by unkind people is at the root of virtually all white defensiveness on this topic.” I wish everyone could read this book with an open/learning mindset for their racial awareness education. Denial of racism doesn’t make it disappear. The first step is to call it for what it is and own up to our ignorance and prejudice. As an Asian living in the west I’m painfully aware of how we could both be victims and perpetrators of racism.

“The simplistic idea that racism is limited to individual intentional acts committed by unkind people is at the root of virtually all white defensiveness on this topic.” I wish everyone could read this book with an open/learning mindset for their racial awareness education. Denial of racism doesn’t make it disappear. The first step is to call it for what it is and own up to our ignorance and prejudice. As an Asian living in the west I’m painfully aware of how we could both be victims and perpetrators of racism.