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Ordinary Terrible Things
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
Not My Idea, the latest in the critically-acclaimed Ordinary Terrible Things series, is a book about whiteness.
A white child sees TV news coverage of a white police officer shooting a brown person whose hands were up. Upset, he asks his mother why; she deflects, assuring him that he is safe. Later, they visit an aunt and uncle, where the TV, always on, shows a rally in response to the police shooting. The child glimpses a moving press conference with the victim’s family while his aunt claims she simply “can’t watch the news.”
The book’s narrator accompanies the child as he faces history and himself. The activities section urges kids to grow justice (“like a bean sprout in a milk carton”) inside of themselves, seek out and listen to the truth about racism and white supremacy, and prepare to be changed, heartbroken, and liberated by this experience.
Part history lesson, part compassionate primer to assist children (and parents) past defensiveness, Not My Idea is a tangible tool for necessary conversations.
A white child sees TV news coverage of a white police officer shooting a brown person whose hands were up. Upset, he asks his mother why; she deflects, assuring him that he is safe. Later, they visit an aunt and uncle, where the TV, always on, shows a rally in response to the police shooting. The child glimpses a moving press conference with the victim’s family while his aunt claims she simply “can’t watch the news.”
The book’s narrator accompanies the child as he faces history and himself. The activities section urges kids to grow justice (“like a bean sprout in a milk carton”) inside of themselves, seek out and listen to the truth about racism and white supremacy, and prepare to be changed, heartbroken, and liberated by this experience.
Part history lesson, part compassionate primer to assist children (and parents) past defensiveness, Not My Idea is a tangible tool for necessary conversations.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 2020
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2890 people want to read
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August 8, 2018
The other day I was at the table with my 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son and the subject of police shootings came up. I think there was a time when I would have been surprised by that statement. I think that time was long ago. In any case, as with many things my husband and I found that to explain anything about the shootings we had to go into a deep dive about systematic racist, the systems in place, and whiteness. My daughter has a killer brain, but in the course of going into the inequity of bank loans for white vs. black customers I found myself wanting to bring up the old Eddie Murphy sketch on “Saturday Night Live” called “White Like Me.” That’s the closest I could get to a blueprint of how to explain all this to my kid. And I think that there are a lot of white parents out there these days that, like me, want to do the right thing. We want to teach our children about whiteness but we don’t know where to start. There aren’t a lot of parenting guides out there on the subject. We might be offered an EDI course (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) through our workplaces but those are for our own education, not specifically that of our children. We can’t look to our own upbringing since the blueprints our parents handed us are woefully out of date. Those old terms of “everyone’s the same beneath the skin” and “melting pot” are beyond outdated, veering into the offensive. I was discussing this with a fellow parent the other day and then we looked at Anastasia Higginbotham’s latest book Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness. It is, quite frankly, the first book I’ve seen to that provides an honest explanation for kids about the state of race in America today. And the parent I was speaking to clearly agreed since he had to physically restrain himself from snatching the book from me and barreling for the nearest exit. The need for this book isn’t just palpable. It’s a drop in a void that’s been left gaping for far too long.
Higginbotham’s books are most easily identified by their subject matter. Put simply, the woman makes difficult subjects accessible to young readers. Divorce. Death. Sex. Whiteness. She’s unafraid of these topics. But let us not go around assuming that the subject matter is the reason she’s a great writer. Higginbotham could write about fluffy bunnies frolicking in vast vats of marshmallow fluff and still be as scintillating and on point as she is here because as a writer she treats her readers with a level of respect that feels unique. Look, this book is not the only picture book out there to mention police shootings. Yet in almost every book that talks about racism, the discussion skims along the surface. Their focus is not about why these things happen but rather how we can make our children feel safe in a dangerous world. What puts Higginbotham apart is her willingness to explain to kids, in an abbreviated overview (that in a just world would be worth a writing award right there), the reasons behind it all. In doing so, however, she never loses sight of the fact that the kid reading this book deserves honesty. It’s what she’s always delivered. In a way, it almost feels like her previous books were working up to this one all along.
So let’s examine how precisely someone breaks down whiteness for kids. As with her other books, this book is split between a story with characters and a narration that talks directly to the reader. It’s this narration where you’ll find that respect I mentioned earlier. The very first line reads, “When grown-ups try to hide scary things from kids . . .” and you are hooked. It says right off the bat that skin color makes a difference in how you see the world and how the world sees you. So as the white child goes through some rudimentary actions in a typical day, the book is constantly highlighting those moments when whiteness is at work. It also highlights, later on, what’s gone on in the past, both the good and the bad, and what’s going on today. The kid in the story eventually confronts the mom about the fact that the adults aren’t being honest and aren’t trusting the child to learn and understand. At the end of the book you get information about what you can do, done in the style of those Activity pages you'd normally find in the back of more innocuous books. But the Activity being celebrated here is growing justice in yourself. Alongside the image of books we read, “Innocence is overrated. Knowledge is Power. Get some. Grow wise. Make history.”
Now my kid is an anxious child. Fortunately, she fights back against that anxiousness. Her natural born curiosity will actually override her anxieties when she wants to make sense of something. And what I found with this book is that Higginbotham does a very good job of making it clear to the young reader that they have a personal stake in all of this. She alternates between cheering them on (“Grow justice inside yourself like a bean sprout in a milk carton”), offering a form of comfort and clarification (“You can be WHITE without signing on to whiteness”), and informing them. And when it comes to the term "whiteness", what this book does particularly well is define the word in such a way that a small child could understand it. The author also pays homage to heroes of the past that have disrupted white supremacy. I was very taken with the mention at the end of Juliette Hampton Morgan. She was a librarian in Montgomery, Alabama who would raise holy hell if a bus driver mistreated a black passenger. This example in the book was a pitch perfect example to my kid of the kind of common decency we aspire to. And what I found as I read the book to my kid was that Higginbotham was able to match my daughter beat for beat. At the exact moment that my daughter said, “Mom, I’m worried,” the text reads, “But connecting means opening. And opening sometimes feels . . . like breaking.” So that when we got to the end where the book declared, “Your history’s not all written yet. What do you want it to say?” she considered the question seriously. No anxiety.
Did I have any moments of doubt about reading this book to my kid? I wish I could tell you that I walk through life without succumbing to whiteness at any time, but let’s be honest. The minute I got this book I didn’t immediately show it to my daughter. It’s crazy to think that as an adult I had to read and digest and process the book first, but I did. To some extent I wanted to be able to talk with my kid about every single aspect of this story as it comes up. When you get to the page where it shows how whites have “exploited the love and labor of Black women” you should be able to say what that means. And if you don’t know what that means then you need to educate yourself first and then educate your child. That’s a lot of work, but long gone are the days when being a parent meant phoning in your opinions. But that wasn’t the only reason I didn’t read the book to my daughter immediately. I didn’t hand this book to my kid right away because there’s a page in this book where the text reads, “bang! bang! bang! bang! bang!”, though it doesn’t show any gunplay, and there’s a kid watching a television holding their hands to their head. I honestly wondered for a minute there if it was appropriate to read that to my kid. I realized pretty quickly that she’s seen stuff like this, or heard about it, and keeping this book from her would be the equivalent of the adults on the following page who tell their own child “You don’t need to worry about this. You’re safe. Understand?” Our kids don’t exist in vacuums. And, if they do, then it’s our job to introduce them to the real world before the real world gets first dibs on their education.
To bring these images to life, Higginbotham utilizes a collage technique that’s she’s perfected over her previous three books. The images here appear in front of what looks like brown paper bags. Faces and hands are drawn while hair and clothing is collage. Photographs make a regular appearance, many of them seemingly taken from the streets of Brooklyn today. And lest you pooh-pooh her style, I have to say that as an artist, Higginbotham is very good at letting images speak louder than words when the time is right. In one two-page spread a security guard in a store stands between two children. The child on the left is white and looking at bowls. The child on the right is black and doing the same. Guess where the guard's eyes travel. Later at a stoplight the white kid’s mom surreptitiously locks the car doors when a black boy crosses in front of them at an intersection. Once the child starts reading up on whiteness, the art changes. Look at that image of the black nanny dressed in the stars and stripes as she exits the frame with a baby, swaddled in a dollar bill. I was particularly amused later when Andrew Jackson’s face on the $20 appears with evident purpose.
At the beginning of this book, Higginbotham quotes a 1993 Toni Morrison interview where she says, “White people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it . . . Take me out of it.” Now go to your local library. Ask for the books on equity and racism for kids. What you will be given is a pile of books that are metaphors, a bunch that discuss historical inequities, and maybe a couple that want to talk about race today. That last pile is small, and notable for what it does not say. It will not talk about whiteness. Higginbotham is a white author who took Morrison seriously. It’s rare that I read a book for a kid that does something I’ve never seen done before, but I’ve never seen a white author confront white supremacy in a picture book format. And even if this book sells well, I don’t see it inspiring a flood of imitators, because what Higginbotham is doing here is exceedingly difficult. It would have been much easier for her to just write another everything-is-all-right work of comfort, like all the others I’ve seen before. At one point in this book the main character says, “You can’t hide what’s right in front of me.” Put this book in front of a child. Don’t hide it. Talk about it. You’ll come for the subject matter. You’ll stay for the compassion.
For ages 6 and up.
Higginbotham’s books are most easily identified by their subject matter. Put simply, the woman makes difficult subjects accessible to young readers. Divorce. Death. Sex. Whiteness. She’s unafraid of these topics. But let us not go around assuming that the subject matter is the reason she’s a great writer. Higginbotham could write about fluffy bunnies frolicking in vast vats of marshmallow fluff and still be as scintillating and on point as she is here because as a writer she treats her readers with a level of respect that feels unique. Look, this book is not the only picture book out there to mention police shootings. Yet in almost every book that talks about racism, the discussion skims along the surface. Their focus is not about why these things happen but rather how we can make our children feel safe in a dangerous world. What puts Higginbotham apart is her willingness to explain to kids, in an abbreviated overview (that in a just world would be worth a writing award right there), the reasons behind it all. In doing so, however, she never loses sight of the fact that the kid reading this book deserves honesty. It’s what she’s always delivered. In a way, it almost feels like her previous books were working up to this one all along.
So let’s examine how precisely someone breaks down whiteness for kids. As with her other books, this book is split between a story with characters and a narration that talks directly to the reader. It’s this narration where you’ll find that respect I mentioned earlier. The very first line reads, “When grown-ups try to hide scary things from kids . . .” and you are hooked. It says right off the bat that skin color makes a difference in how you see the world and how the world sees you. So as the white child goes through some rudimentary actions in a typical day, the book is constantly highlighting those moments when whiteness is at work. It also highlights, later on, what’s gone on in the past, both the good and the bad, and what’s going on today. The kid in the story eventually confronts the mom about the fact that the adults aren’t being honest and aren’t trusting the child to learn and understand. At the end of the book you get information about what you can do, done in the style of those Activity pages you'd normally find in the back of more innocuous books. But the Activity being celebrated here is growing justice in yourself. Alongside the image of books we read, “Innocence is overrated. Knowledge is Power. Get some. Grow wise. Make history.”
Now my kid is an anxious child. Fortunately, she fights back against that anxiousness. Her natural born curiosity will actually override her anxieties when she wants to make sense of something. And what I found with this book is that Higginbotham does a very good job of making it clear to the young reader that they have a personal stake in all of this. She alternates between cheering them on (“Grow justice inside yourself like a bean sprout in a milk carton”), offering a form of comfort and clarification (“You can be WHITE without signing on to whiteness”), and informing them. And when it comes to the term "whiteness", what this book does particularly well is define the word in such a way that a small child could understand it. The author also pays homage to heroes of the past that have disrupted white supremacy. I was very taken with the mention at the end of Juliette Hampton Morgan. She was a librarian in Montgomery, Alabama who would raise holy hell if a bus driver mistreated a black passenger. This example in the book was a pitch perfect example to my kid of the kind of common decency we aspire to. And what I found as I read the book to my kid was that Higginbotham was able to match my daughter beat for beat. At the exact moment that my daughter said, “Mom, I’m worried,” the text reads, “But connecting means opening. And opening sometimes feels . . . like breaking.” So that when we got to the end where the book declared, “Your history’s not all written yet. What do you want it to say?” she considered the question seriously. No anxiety.
Did I have any moments of doubt about reading this book to my kid? I wish I could tell you that I walk through life without succumbing to whiteness at any time, but let’s be honest. The minute I got this book I didn’t immediately show it to my daughter. It’s crazy to think that as an adult I had to read and digest and process the book first, but I did. To some extent I wanted to be able to talk with my kid about every single aspect of this story as it comes up. When you get to the page where it shows how whites have “exploited the love and labor of Black women” you should be able to say what that means. And if you don’t know what that means then you need to educate yourself first and then educate your child. That’s a lot of work, but long gone are the days when being a parent meant phoning in your opinions. But that wasn’t the only reason I didn’t read the book to my daughter immediately. I didn’t hand this book to my kid right away because there’s a page in this book where the text reads, “bang! bang! bang! bang! bang!”, though it doesn’t show any gunplay, and there’s a kid watching a television holding their hands to their head. I honestly wondered for a minute there if it was appropriate to read that to my kid. I realized pretty quickly that she’s seen stuff like this, or heard about it, and keeping this book from her would be the equivalent of the adults on the following page who tell their own child “You don’t need to worry about this. You’re safe. Understand?” Our kids don’t exist in vacuums. And, if they do, then it’s our job to introduce them to the real world before the real world gets first dibs on their education.
To bring these images to life, Higginbotham utilizes a collage technique that’s she’s perfected over her previous three books. The images here appear in front of what looks like brown paper bags. Faces and hands are drawn while hair and clothing is collage. Photographs make a regular appearance, many of them seemingly taken from the streets of Brooklyn today. And lest you pooh-pooh her style, I have to say that as an artist, Higginbotham is very good at letting images speak louder than words when the time is right. In one two-page spread a security guard in a store stands between two children. The child on the left is white and looking at bowls. The child on the right is black and doing the same. Guess where the guard's eyes travel. Later at a stoplight the white kid’s mom surreptitiously locks the car doors when a black boy crosses in front of them at an intersection. Once the child starts reading up on whiteness, the art changes. Look at that image of the black nanny dressed in the stars and stripes as she exits the frame with a baby, swaddled in a dollar bill. I was particularly amused later when Andrew Jackson’s face on the $20 appears with evident purpose.
At the beginning of this book, Higginbotham quotes a 1993 Toni Morrison interview where she says, “White people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it . . . Take me out of it.” Now go to your local library. Ask for the books on equity and racism for kids. What you will be given is a pile of books that are metaphors, a bunch that discuss historical inequities, and maybe a couple that want to talk about race today. That last pile is small, and notable for what it does not say. It will not talk about whiteness. Higginbotham is a white author who took Morrison seriously. It’s rare that I read a book for a kid that does something I’ve never seen done before, but I’ve never seen a white author confront white supremacy in a picture book format. And even if this book sells well, I don’t see it inspiring a flood of imitators, because what Higginbotham is doing here is exceedingly difficult. It would have been much easier for her to just write another everything-is-all-right work of comfort, like all the others I’ve seen before. At one point in this book the main character says, “You can’t hide what’s right in front of me.” Put this book in front of a child. Don’t hide it. Talk about it. You’ll come for the subject matter. You’ll stay for the compassion.
For ages 6 and up.
May 8, 2019
This book encourages white parents and children to talk about racial dynamics and recognize how they experience privilege in their daily lives, but it is incredibly vague and provides almost no historical context for where racial power dynamics came from. I can't even imagine reading this as a child without a well-informed adult explaining everything. The book is just SO VAGUE. I gritted my teeth through so many of its true assertions, because it gave zero historical context for them, didn't define its terms, and assumed that children who are only just learning about racial issues will have the capacity to interpret social buzzwords and historical issues with minimal context or explanation. You can't throw around terms like "white supremacy" without defining them and expect a child to understand what you're talking about. You can't offhandedly refer to white people profiting from black women's "love and labor" without explaining what this means. This book doesn't even mention slavery or colonialism.
I know what the author is talking about, but I'm an adult and a history major. How is some little kid supposed to read this book and walk away more enlightened, instead of utterly confused? Worse, because the book doesn't explain where racism came from or why certain social structures exist, it indicates that racism is an intrinsic fault of white people that must be overcome, rather than a historical, long-running social problem that the powerful feel privileged to ignore. It indicates "you are bad and your people are bad, but if you are willing to stand up for justice, then you are good" without providing any meaningful explanation of how any of these issues ever came to exist or be perpetuated in the first place.
I know what the author is talking about, but I'm an adult and a history major. How is some little kid supposed to read this book and walk away more enlightened, instead of utterly confused? Worse, because the book doesn't explain where racism came from or why certain social structures exist, it indicates that racism is an intrinsic fault of white people that must be overcome, rather than a historical, long-running social problem that the powerful feel privileged to ignore. It indicates "you are bad and your people are bad, but if you are willing to stand up for justice, then you are good" without providing any meaningful explanation of how any of these issues ever came to exist or be perpetuated in the first place.
December 28, 2020
If you want your child to think being white makes you bad, being a police officer makes you unjust and a being a person of color makes you a victim, then this is your book.
July 3, 2021
I will absolutely never let my kids read this. I will not make them feel ashamed for being born in the wrong color skin. I will not shame them for the evil actions of men/women that they had nothing to do with. Our young people - of all colors, shapes and sizes - don't need more reasons to feel self conscious about their appearance.
July 27, 2020
Way too preachy about how bad being white is with only vague, occasional ideas about what to do right. As with so many self help books, there is too much focus on presenting the existing problem without enough insight, creativity and thoughtfulness spent on providing concrete suggestions for working toward correcting the problem. The author’s anger comes through loud and clear but that is not a productive or successful way to teach young children.
No clear indication who the target audience is. Picture book format but language/vocabulary & concept presentation clearly not focused on children under the age of 10.
I bought this title in the hope of using as part of my elementary schools library collections as I continue to provide diverse book selections to the students but this book will not be among them .
No clear indication who the target audience is. Picture book format but language/vocabulary & concept presentation clearly not focused on children under the age of 10.
I bought this title in the hope of using as part of my elementary schools library collections as I continue to provide diverse book selections to the students but this book will not be among them .
July 8, 2021
Firstly, how did this even get onto the library shelves?
More importantly, how was it even published?
Personally, I'm against burning of any books as all of them serves a purpose if someone felt it important enough to write it down and someone else felt it important enough to print the thing out.
So yes, this book does serve a purpose.
It serves a s a reminder that there are small pockets of fringe society warped enough to try, and succeed in, indoctrinating your children to think just like them and not like you.
More importantly, how was it even published?
Personally, I'm against burning of any books as all of them serves a purpose if someone felt it important enough to write it down and someone else felt it important enough to print the thing out.
So yes, this book does serve a purpose.
It serves a s a reminder that there are small pockets of fringe society warped enough to try, and succeed in, indoctrinating your children to think just like them and not like you.
August 29, 2018
A much-needed resource to teach white children about white supremacy, racism, and police shootings. A quotation from a Toni Morrison interview is included in the book: "White people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it . . . Take me out of it." Higginbotham teaches that it is white people who need to fight against this system: “You can be WHITE without signing on to whiteness.” She encourages us to grow justice inside us. As for concerns that kids are too young to learn about this? She counters this argument with the simple statements "Innocence is overrated. Knowledge is Power. Get some. Grow wise. Make history."
July 4, 2018
This book is the first I've ever seen to take on whiteness and white privilege head on. The story line/information is somewhat scattered and fragmented, but it's a great place to start important conversations.
May 28, 2019
Got this for our middle school library due to good reviews but after reading it I didn't like it. I liked the idea and it's certainly one to discuss and not hide... but as I was reading it I really felt it oversimplified a very important topic in to someone's opinion that every white person is a white supremacist or racist and that every police shooting is unjustified. I 100% agree that whiteness is a thing that many white people don't understand but I also don't think that every bad thing that happens on the news to a "brown" person is because of whiteness and that's the feeling I got from this book. It exists for sure but it can't be used as an excuse for every negative thing you hear on the news.
July 29, 2019
Wow! I spent two decades teaching white children. I thought that I was doing a good job because I exposed them to diverse books and included the history of African Americans, Asians, and Latinos into my lessons. I never once talked to them about their whiteness. I needed this book then.
September 17, 2020
This book is disgusting. To make children read this without their parents consent is ridiculous. I refuse to tell my child to hate himself because he is white. I pity the children who are told this. What a sad pathetic society.
October 4, 2018
My 8-year-old daughter, who has had multiple introductory conversations about race, loved this book. She recorded her own review and recommends it to others.
May 15, 2022
It's not for u civilized snowflakes :]🤞
تصور کنید در جهان اول، مردی با سفید ترین پوست ممکن باشید و تنها مشکلی که در جهان پیدا میکنید، کتابی است که در آن با زبان کودکانه نوشته شده: سفیدپوست ها در زمان قدیم سیاه پوست ها رو به بردگی خود میگرفتند، حتی در سال ۲۰۲۲ همچنان شاهد رفتار های خشونت آمیز پلیس و ماموران امنیتی با فرد سیاه پوست حتی با وجود تسلیم شدن آن ها هستیم.
فکر کن انقدر گستاخ باشی که بخوای به نحوه ی درس دادن «تاریخ» در مدرسه اعتراض کنی.
حالا واقعا این اتفاق افتاده. چندین ماه گذشته شاهد سفید ترین مرد ممکن بودم که با یه توییت ( بازم تصور کنید انقدر سفید بودن رو) در شبکه خبری فاکس مصاحبه ای گرفت که اعتراض خودش را نسبت به تاریخ بردهداری در آمریکا نشان بده و بگه تاریخ درس دادن در مدرسه، چهره ی سفیدپوستان در دنیا را خراب کرده و باعث شده مردم، سیاهپوستان را به چشم قربانی ببینند.
Fucking pardon?
در عین حال، مادرهای عزیزی که زیادی در فیسبوک میچرخن و ویدیوهای جناب آقای بن شاپیرو (ben shapiro- هموفوبیک ترنسفوبیک و نژادپرست) رو نگاه میکنن بخاطر اعتراض این آقا دهن وا کردن به اینکه، مدرسه داره به بچه ها یاد میده سفید بودن گناه و بد است.
فقط کافیه یه سر به ریویو های یک ستاره همین کتاب بزنید تا ببینید نود درصدشون زن های سفیدپوست میان سال هستند. :]
Again... Fucking pardon?
هیچ کجای تاریخ از سفیدپوست بودن بدی نگفته شده. یا شاید هم شده. مدرکش چیه؟ این کتاب و کتاب کشتن مرغ مقلد. از کی تا حالا گفتن واقعیت و بروز دادن تاریخ شده بد کردن چهره ی سفیدپوست ها؟ معذرت میخواییم که برای چند صد سال واقعا برده داری کردین، سیاه پوست ها را شیطان و اهریمن خواندید، اعدام کردید، مجازات کردید، کشتید، تجاوز کردین. الان انقدر فرهنگ زده شدید که تنها مشکل جهان رو در کتاب کشتن مرغ مقلد میبینید؟ هرچند که در همه ی کتاب های تاریخ با وجود تمام بازهم از خوبی های خود گفتید. که چقدر صفا و آبادی به کشوری که تصرف کردید آوردید.
اصلا هدف درس دادن این موضوعات جلوگیری از تکرار تاریخه. همانطور که بچه های آلمانی درمورد جنگ جهانی دوم و هولوکاست میخونن.
I'm gonna say it again... Fucking pardon?
این کتاب نه تنها قصد بد کردن چهره ی سفیدپوست ها را ندارد، نه تنها قصد جلوه دادن قربانی بودن سیاهپوست ها را ندارد. (که هستند واقعا، قابل انکار نیست این موضوع) بلکه فقط میخواهد درک کنید که رنگ پوست شما در نحوه ی دیده شدن تان توسط جهان تاثیر دارد.
چندین مقاله و خبر از کشته شدن سیاهپوستان بیگناه دیدید؟
چندین مورد گزارش تجاوز به دختران یا پسران سیاهپوست قسمت فقیر جامعه دیدید؟
چندین مورد قتل، سوقصد، ضرب و شتم یک سیاهپوست را دیدید؟
چندین مورد گزارش از نابرابری حقوق انسانی و اجتماعی سیاهپوستان دیدیدن؟
چندین مورد اعتراض فقط برای گرفتن حق انسانی توسط سیاهپوستان دیدین؟ (واقعا باید برای انسان بودن اعتراض کنن؟)
واقعیت همینه که هست.
به قولی snowflake های جامعه امروزی بهتره که خودشون رو جمع کنن و دو صفحه ی آخر کتاب رو بهتر بخونن.
" تاریخ تو، داستان تو رو تعریف نمیکنه، تو چی میخوای باشی؟ "
مشخصا داره اشاره میکنه به هدف این داستان.
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اما توجیه سفیدپوستهای عصبانی اینور قضیه برای درست کردن تمام این داستان ها کجا شروع شد دقیقا؟
۱- اگر فلان و بیسار پس چرا نرخ دزدی و سرقت در سیاهپوستان بالاتره؟
احمق، برای زنده موندن خودش توی جهانی که به سیاهپوست کار نمیدن داره تلاش میکنه.
۲- چرا انقدر عصبین همش پس؟
تو هم اگر هیچکدوم از حق های اولیه زندگی رو در اختیارت نداشتی همین بودی، ساکت بشین لاته ات رو بخور و کتاب به خودت سرکوفت نزن دختر رو بخون.
۳- دیدی هیچکدوم بابا مامان بالا سرشون نیست هاهاها؟
شاید مربوط به اینکه خیلی هاشون پدرهاشون رو توی دوران بردهداری از دست دادن و کشته شدن؟ تا حالا به این فکر کردی؟ شاید بخاطر اینکه سیاهپوست از جلو هر پلیسی که رد میشه حتما یه کاری کرده و به هیچ دلیل مشخصی بازجویی میشه و مورد اتهام قرار میگیره؟ تا حالا به این فکر کردی؟ اصلا یادته اون سفیدپوست هایی که تبرئه شدن از جرم تجاوز به دختران سیاهپوست، فقط بخاطر اینکه سفید بودن؟ اینم شد مدرک؟
۴- سیاهپوست ها هیچ جایگاهی نتونستن توی جامعه پیدا کنن و همیشه قشر کم درآمد و پایین جامعه را تشکیل میدادن، این تقصیر خودشونه، حتما چیزی برای ارائه ندارن دیگه، نه؟
باید تمام اسامی سیاهپوستانی که نادیده گرفتن شدن، کوبیده شدن یا حتی کشته شدن فقط برای اینکه بتونن خودشون رو ثابت کنن ببرم یا چی؟ یه ذره منطق به کار ببر. نمیگیم تو خودت شخصا چون سفیدی مارتین لوترکینگ رو کشتی. نه. ولی نمیتونی هم بگی سیاهپوست ها دارن مظلوم نمایی میکنن. اونا کشته شدن، بیشتر از چی میخوای؟
۵- شیطان آن ها رو آفریده. اصلا برای این جوابی ندارم واقعا. کسی که به این درجه از حماقت رسیده قابلیت برگشتن رو نداره.
غ- اونها تصویر سفیدپوست ها رو بد میکنن. این هم برن پیش دسته ی قبلی.
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خلاصه ای از اخباری که درباره ی سیاهپوستان خوندمو در ذهنم مانده:
مقاله ای خوندم درباره ی سیاهپوستی که در فرودگاه یا مترو و جاهای عادی، در حالی که بقیه به راحتی عبور و مرور میکردند مورد بازرسی بدنی قرار میگرفت. در فرودگاه دو یا سه بار مجبورش میکردن از دستگاه رد شه و یا چندبار بازرسی بدنی رو به صورت وحشتناکی انجام میدادن. یک بار اعتراض کرده بود به مامور فرودگاهی که در بازرسی بیش از حد به او دست زده و وارد حریم خصوصی او شده است. دستگیر شد و برای سه ماه به زندان افتاد. حدس زدید کدومشون دیگه؟ سیاه پوسته. به جرم توهین به مامور پلیس در حین انجام وظیفه.
ویدیوهایی که با عنوان بامزه و خنده دار در اینترنت منتشر میشه از بچه های سفیدپوستی که تو سر بچه ی سیاهپوست میزنن و او را به کتک میگیرند، به او فحش میدهند و در مقابل بقیه بچه ها او را تحقیر و کوچک میکنند. (این بچه ها از من و تو این رفتار رو یاد نگرفتن، از پدر مادرهای سفیدپوستشون یاد گرفتن.)
کشته شدن مرد همجنسگرا سیاهپوست در ماه پراید. زخمی شدن چندین نفر دیگر رو هم در پی داشته ولی شخص تیرانداز اظهار داشت که مرد سیاهپوست مورد هدفش بوده.
یوتیوبر آمریکایی macdoesit هم همجنسگرا هم سیاهپوست. میگفت من کابوس شب مردهای سفیدپوست استریت کانتری ساید به حساب میام. برام پیام های تهدیدآمیز میفرستن که پیدات میکنیم و میکشیمت.
کشته شدن زن سیاهپوست بعد از تجاوز به او، توسط یکی از همکارانش در شرکت.
این جنبش مسخره نژادپرستی جدیدی حساب میشه در قالبی جدید. اسم جنبش هم critical race theory هست.
برای اطلاعات بیشتر رجوع شود به:
https://youtu.be/kZ4E0T6Gus8
Last one... Fucking pardon?
تصور کنید در جهان اول، مردی با سفید ترین پوست ممکن باشید و تنها مشکلی که در جهان پیدا میکنید، کتابی است که در آن با زبان کودکانه نوشته شده: سفیدپوست ها در زمان قدیم سیاه پوست ها رو به بردگی خود میگرفتند، حتی در سال ۲۰۲۲ همچنان شاهد رفتار های خشونت آمیز پلیس و ماموران امنیتی با فرد سیاه پوست حتی با وجود تسلیم شدن آن ها هستیم.
فکر کن انقدر گستاخ باشی که بخوای به نحوه ی درس دادن «تاریخ» در مدرسه اعتراض کنی.
حالا واقعا این اتفاق افتاده. چندین ماه گذشته شاهد سفید ترین مرد ممکن بودم که با یه توییت ( بازم تصور کنید انقدر سفید بودن رو) در شبکه خبری فاکس مصاحبه ای گرفت که اعتراض خودش را نسبت به تاریخ بردهداری در آمریکا نشان بده و بگه تاریخ درس دادن در مدرسه، چهره ی سفیدپوستان در دنیا را خراب کرده و باعث شده مردم، سیاهپوستان را به چشم قربانی ببینند.
Fucking pardon?
در عین حال، مادرهای عزیزی که زیادی در فیسبوک میچرخن و ویدیوهای جناب آقای بن شاپیرو (ben shapiro- هموفوبیک ترنسفوبیک و نژادپرست) رو نگاه میکنن بخاطر اعتراض این آقا دهن وا کردن به اینکه، مدرسه داره به بچه ها یاد میده سفید بودن گناه و بد است.
فقط کافیه یه سر به ریویو های یک ستاره همین کتاب بزنید تا ببینید نود درصدشون زن های سفیدپوست میان سال هستند. :]
Again... Fucking pardon?
هیچ کجای تاریخ از سفیدپوست بودن بدی نگفته شده. یا شاید هم شده. مدرکش چیه؟ این کتاب و کتاب کشتن مرغ مقلد. از کی تا حالا گفتن واقعیت و بروز دادن تاریخ شده بد کردن چهره ی سفیدپوست ها؟ معذرت میخواییم که برای چند صد سال واقعا برده داری کردین، سیاه پوست ها را شیطان و اهریمن خواندید، اعدام کردید، مجازات کردید، کشتید، تجاوز کردین. الان انقدر فرهنگ زده شدید که تنها مشکل جهان رو در کتاب کشتن مرغ مقلد میبینید؟ هرچند که در همه ی کتاب های تاریخ با وجود تمام بازهم از خوبی های خود گفتید. که چقدر صفا و آبادی به کشوری که تصرف کردید آوردید.
اصلا هدف درس دادن این موضوعات جلوگیری از تکرار تاریخه. همانطور که بچه های آلمانی درمورد جنگ جهانی دوم و هولوکاست میخونن.
I'm gonna say it again... Fucking pardon?
این کتاب نه تنها قصد بد کردن چهره ی سفیدپوست ها را ندارد، نه تنها قصد جلوه دادن قربانی بودن سیاهپوست ها را ندارد. (که هستند واقعا، قابل انکار نیست این موضوع) بلکه فقط میخواهد درک کنید که رنگ پوست شما در نحوه ی دیده شدن تان توسط جهان تاثیر دارد.
چندین مقاله و خبر از کشته شدن سیاهپوستان بیگناه دیدید؟
چندین مورد گزارش تجاوز به دختران یا پسران سیاهپوست قسمت فقیر جامعه دیدید؟
چندین مورد قتل، سوقصد، ضرب و شتم یک سیاهپوست را دیدید؟
چندین مورد گزارش از نابرابری حقوق انسانی و اجتماعی سیاهپوستان دیدیدن؟
چندین مورد اعتراض فقط برای گرفتن حق انسانی توسط سیاهپوستان دیدین؟ (واقعا باید برای انسان بودن اعتراض کنن؟)
واقعیت همینه که هست.
به قولی snowflake های جامعه امروزی بهتره که خودشون رو جمع کنن و دو صفحه ی آخر کتاب رو بهتر بخونن.
" تاریخ تو، داستان تو رو تعریف نمیکنه، تو چی میخوای باشی؟ "
مشخصا داره اشاره میکنه به هدف این داستان.
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اما توجیه سفیدپوستهای عصبانی اینور قضیه برای درست کردن تمام این داستان ها کجا شروع شد دقیقا؟
۱- اگر فلان و بیسار پس چرا نرخ دزدی و سرقت در سیاهپوستان بالاتره؟
احمق، برای زنده موندن خودش توی جهانی که به سیاهپوست کار نمیدن داره تلاش میکنه.
۲- چرا انقدر عصبین همش پس؟
تو هم اگر هیچکدوم از حق های اولیه زندگی رو در اختیارت نداشتی همین بودی، ساکت بشین لاته ات رو بخور و کتاب به خودت سرکوفت نزن دختر رو بخون.
۳- دیدی هیچکدوم بابا مامان بالا سرشون نیست هاهاها؟
شاید مربوط به اینکه خیلی هاشون پدرهاشون رو توی دوران بردهداری از دست دادن و کشته شدن؟ تا حالا به این فکر کردی؟ شاید بخاطر اینکه سیاهپوست از جلو هر پلیسی که رد میشه حتما یه کاری کرده و به هیچ دلیل مشخصی بازجویی میشه و مورد اتهام قرار میگیره؟ تا حالا به این فکر کردی؟ اصلا یادته اون سفیدپوست هایی که تبرئه شدن از جرم تجاوز به دختران سیاهپوست، فقط بخاطر اینکه سفید بودن؟ اینم شد مدرک؟
۴- سیاهپوست ها هیچ جایگاهی نتونستن توی جامعه پیدا کنن و همیشه قشر کم درآمد و پایین جامعه را تشکیل میدادن، این تقصیر خودشونه، حتما چیزی برای ارائه ندارن دیگه، نه؟
باید تمام اسامی سیاهپوستانی که نادیده گرفتن شدن، کوبیده شدن یا حتی کشته شدن فقط برای اینکه بتونن خودشون رو ثابت کنن ببرم یا چی؟ یه ذره منطق به کار ببر. نمیگیم تو خودت شخصا چون سفیدی مارتین لوترکینگ رو کشتی. نه. ولی نمیتونی هم بگی سیاهپوست ها دارن مظلوم نمایی میکنن. اونا کشته شدن، بیشتر از چی میخوای؟
۵- شیطان آن ها رو آفریده. اصلا برای این جوابی ندارم واقعا. کسی که به این درجه از حماقت رسیده قابلیت برگشتن رو نداره.
غ- اونها تصویر سفیدپوست ها رو بد میکنن. این هم برن پیش دسته ی قبلی.
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خلاصه ای از اخباری که درباره ی سیاهپوستان خوندمو در ذهنم مانده:
مقاله ای خوندم درباره ی سیاهپوستی که در فرودگاه یا مترو و جاهای عادی، در حالی که بقیه به راحتی عبور و مرور میکردند مورد بازرسی بدنی قرار میگرفت. در فرودگاه دو یا سه بار مجبورش میکردن از دستگاه رد شه و یا چندبار بازرسی بدنی رو به صورت وحشتناکی انجام میدادن. یک بار اعتراض کرده بود به مامور فرودگاهی که در بازرسی بیش از حد به او دست زده و وارد حریم خصوصی او شده است. دستگیر شد و برای سه ماه به زندان افتاد. حدس زدید کدومشون دیگه؟ سیاه پوسته. به جرم توهین به مامور پلیس در حین انجام وظیفه.
ویدیوهایی که با عنوان بامزه و خنده دار در اینترنت منتشر میشه از بچه های سفیدپوستی که تو سر بچه ی سیاهپوست میزنن و او را به کتک میگیرند، به او فحش میدهند و در مقابل بقیه بچه ها او را تحقیر و کوچک میکنند. (این بچه ها از من و تو این رفتار رو یاد نگرفتن، از پدر مادرهای سفیدپوستشون یاد گرفتن.)
کشته شدن مرد همجنسگرا سیاهپوست در ماه پراید. زخمی شدن چندین نفر دیگر رو هم در پی داشته ولی شخص تیرانداز اظهار داشت که مرد سیاهپوست مورد هدفش بوده.
یوتیوبر آمریکایی macdoesit هم همجنسگرا هم سیاهپوست. میگفت من کابوس شب مردهای سفیدپوست استریت کانتری ساید به حساب میام. برام پیام های تهدیدآمیز میفرستن که پیدات میکنیم و میکشیمت.
کشته شدن زن سیاهپوست بعد از تجاوز به او، توسط یکی از همکارانش در شرکت.
این جنبش مسخره نژادپرستی جدیدی حساب میشه در قالبی جدید. اسم جنبش هم critical race theory هست.
برای اطلاعات بیشتر رجوع شود به:
https://youtu.be/kZ4E0T6Gus8
Last one... Fucking pardon?
March 6, 2023
Yikes. I have no idea why anyone would read this to a child. The brainwashing "thinking" in this book is so incredibly regressive. I encourage people to read this absolute gem to their children instead, The Other Side, it is a beautiful book and a great starting point. Another book on racism that is much more to the point and straight forward is A Kids Book About Racism.
This book doubles down on shallow inconsequential characteristics. It is ironic that it seems to call for change while embracing the racist, outdated, backwards thinking that skin color is the most important thing about a person. If there really is a huge problem today with people treating others poorly based on their skin color, shouldn't we be teaching children that a person's skin color does not matter?
Instead we get this...
"deep down we all know, color matters"
"understanding the truth takes courage - especially a painful truth about your own people..."
"Your skin color affects the most ordinary daily experiences"
- No. Color does not matter. If it does, we should be working to make it NOT matter.
- "your own people" - what a horrendous phrase, we should be uniting not separating. This rings of "stick to your own kind" thinking.
- I don't care who you are, your skin color is not affecting you on a daily basis. Of course there are people out there who are racist and will treat people poorly, today they are the exception. People and children should live their lives with this mindset - when someone treats you poorly, do not turn inwardly and try to guess why they treated you that way, you will never know unless they tell you directly. Don't think...is it because I'm this color or this ethnicity. Instead walk away thinking, that person is a jerk and they are the problem.
"Innocence is overrated"
I have no idea what this is doing in a children's book. Innocence is to be valued and protected.
The contract at the end is...breathtakingly sinister.
Overall, this book is an abomination. If you would like to "read" it without purchasing or requesting from your library, check out this video.
This book doubles down on shallow inconsequential characteristics. It is ironic that it seems to call for change while embracing the racist, outdated, backwards thinking that skin color is the most important thing about a person. If there really is a huge problem today with people treating others poorly based on their skin color, shouldn't we be teaching children that a person's skin color does not matter?
Instead we get this...
"deep down we all know, color matters"
"understanding the truth takes courage - especially a painful truth about your own people..."
"Your skin color affects the most ordinary daily experiences"
- No. Color does not matter. If it does, we should be working to make it NOT matter.
- "your own people" - what a horrendous phrase, we should be uniting not separating. This rings of "stick to your own kind" thinking.
- I don't care who you are, your skin color is not affecting you on a daily basis. Of course there are people out there who are racist and will treat people poorly, today they are the exception. People and children should live their lives with this mindset - when someone treats you poorly, do not turn inwardly and try to guess why they treated you that way, you will never know unless they tell you directly. Don't think...is it because I'm this color or this ethnicity. Instead walk away thinking, that person is a jerk and they are the problem.
"Innocence is overrated"
I have no idea what this is doing in a children's book. Innocence is to be valued and protected.
The contract at the end is...breathtakingly sinister.
Overall, this book is an abomination. If you would like to "read" it without purchasing or requesting from your library, check out this video.
April 14, 2021
A Marxist take on teaching White kids that being born White is somehow wrong and they are evil. . The fact that this book is being used to indoctrinate some children in certain school systems is beyond belief.
April 10, 2019
Not My Idea is many things at once. It's an important contribution to a gap in children's literature (i.e. critical books about whiteness and racism aimed at white readers); a strikingly illustrated picture book that is nonetheless unsure of the age of its audience; a less-than-perfectly composed jumble of narrative, philosophical and historical reflection, and call to action. If Not My Idea had stuck more solidly to its narrative component and saved the more philosophical/theoretical elements till the end, it would've felt more comprehensible. Indeed, some editing for clarity throughout would have gone a long way in clearing up awkward sentences and somewhat opaque sentiments.
This book's heart is in the right place, and after reading many of the other reviews here I believe that children will find this a useful resource for investigating whiteness and white supremacy despite its drawbacks.
This book's heart is in the right place, and after reading many of the other reviews here I believe that children will find this a useful resource for investigating whiteness and white supremacy despite its drawbacks.
October 31, 2018
Required reading. "Racism was not your idea. You don't need to defend it."
December 22, 2020
While the subject matter is timely and could potentially lead to some great discussions about race and racism in the US and how we treat our fellow human beings, the story leaves a lot to be desired in terms of what "whiteness" is other than being guilty of being born Caucasian, which then begs the question--is this not the definition racism--that you are bad just because of your skin color? Seriously, no person, let alone a child, should ever be made to feel bad for what they look like and genetics. Even the author's contract about letting go of whiteness assumes only Caucasians engage in bad kinds of behavior--messing with people's lives, appropriating wealth and land from others, exploitation, etc. If anything, that contract shows the author's own ignorance of the world and what is happening and has happened in it.
Also, many of the thoughts are disjointed and present many of the stereotypes about white people while ignoring basic facts and statistics. For example, people of color are more likely to be denied loans by lenders who are themselves people of color than by white people who are lending money. As one of the other commentators on here mention, you need someone well versed in history, statistics, and law to sort out the outright lies, overgeneralizations, half-truths, and truths presented in this book. This is something most adults cannot do on their own, and we simply cannot expect children to do so.
One point that the book makes is that we need to connect with others. This is something that any human being regardless of color can certainly benefit from--connection and understanding. I think this alone would lead to more love, forgiveness, and selflessness than anything else.
Also, many of the thoughts are disjointed and present many of the stereotypes about white people while ignoring basic facts and statistics. For example, people of color are more likely to be denied loans by lenders who are themselves people of color than by white people who are lending money. As one of the other commentators on here mention, you need someone well versed in history, statistics, and law to sort out the outright lies, overgeneralizations, half-truths, and truths presented in this book. This is something most adults cannot do on their own, and we simply cannot expect children to do so.
One point that the book makes is that we need to connect with others. This is something that any human being regardless of color can certainly benefit from--connection and understanding. I think this alone would lead to more love, forgiveness, and selflessness than anything else.
June 23, 2021
I agree with the premise that we should teach our children about injustice and evil in this world and encourage them to be brave enough to stand against it. However, that message gets lost in the shaming: “Whiteness is a BAD deal”, “Dude, I can see your pointy tail”, (insinuating that white people are the devil). How is this considered anti-racist? We should be teaching children about the evil that is part of the human condition, not attributing evil to people based on the color of their skin. The book mentions a few white people who were brave enough to reject their “whiteness”, and encourages white children to do the same. It over simplifies complex issues. In the author’s view, calling looting and destroying property a “riot” and being concerned over safety even if there is an actual reason to fear for your safety is racist. Saying “that policeman was only doing his job” is racist—doesn’t matter what the context is. Turning off the TV because the news is too violent for a young child to watch is racist. I came across this book in the Easy Reader section of my Library—my 5 year old grandson is in a very diverse school. He sees other kids and just wants to be their friend. I can talk to him about news events and tell him about the atrocities committed by ignorant and sometimes evil people against people of color in a way that invokes compassion and a longing for justice, because he loves his friends. Or, I can read him books like this and watch those sweet friendships disintegrate as he is filled with shame over his “whiteness” and comes to view people of color as victims rather than friends.
November 13, 2018
The theme is one I was all in for and parts of the book had me nodding my head in agreement and saying "Yes, white people! Tell your kids about these things and start thinking about what it's like for people who look different than you do!" The book in it's entirety, though, just felt lacking. It kept feeling like it would get close to making a great point about what racism is or describing some situation so a child would understand it, but then the implied news story or incident would fall flat because of lack of explanation. The book is about how parents can keep kids in the dark about racism and terrible things happening because of it in the world today so they need to speak up and demand to be let in on the conversation, yet this book is hiding many things.
Honestly, I wouldn't read this again. I had to fill in so many gaps while reading with my kids that I would've been better off if I just came up with the content myself based on the pics in the book or, idk...um...TALK TO MY KIDS AS THINGS HAPPEN, as well as having ongoing conversations to combat systemic and individual racism. Shouldn't we all be doing this? Shouldn't we help our children to understand what is happening and why when they see or hear bad things? Shouldn't shutting racism down start with white people making sure we aren't creating racists and also trying our hardest to shut down those white supremacist KKK fuckers who already waste too much air and space on this planet?
Honestly, I wouldn't read this again. I had to fill in so many gaps while reading with my kids that I would've been better off if I just came up with the content myself based on the pics in the book or, idk...um...TALK TO MY KIDS AS THINGS HAPPEN, as well as having ongoing conversations to combat systemic and individual racism. Shouldn't we all be doing this? Shouldn't we help our children to understand what is happening and why when they see or hear bad things? Shouldn't shutting racism down start with white people making sure we aren't creating racists and also trying our hardest to shut down those white supremacist KKK fuckers who already waste too much air and space on this planet?
September 18, 2018
I would give this book a million stars if I could. It is such an important message, that racism is not just a problem for the people on the receiving end of injustice, but racism is a White person's problem as well. This is the clearest, simplest, presentation of this I have ever read and every white parent should share it with their children. Speaking truth to power at a level young children can understand. Highly recommended for grades 3 & up, younger if you are ready to have these important conversations with your children.
January 10, 2019
-White supremacy is pretend. But the consequences are real.
-You can be white without signing on to whiteness.
-Innocence is overrated. Knowledge is power.
Anastasia Higginbotham and Dottir Press have done it again! Telling the truth to kids who can handle it and need to hear it. I couldn't be happier with this book. Also, I love her art style. How many revolutionary children's books have you made out of brown paper bags, haters?
-You can be white without signing on to whiteness.
-Innocence is overrated. Knowledge is power.
Anastasia Higginbotham and Dottir Press have done it again! Telling the truth to kids who can handle it and need to hear it. I couldn't be happier with this book. Also, I love her art style. How many revolutionary children's books have you made out of brown paper bags, haters?
July 7, 2021
This book is about a kid who learns to see skin color and who learns that all white people were historically racist against literally every race. Except, that's not true. Historically, there was discrimination between every race combination you could find. There were also consensual interracial marriages of every combination you can think of that is not mentioned in this book so this idea that all white people are racist that is being pushed by this writing is false and insulting.
This book is also spreading the message that all police officers are racist and cannot be trusted. Once again, this is not true. The truth is that the vast majority of police officers are not racist and many of them are in interracial relationships themselves. The truth is that we also have a growing number of police officers who are black, Hispanic, Asian, biracial, and multiracial. This book only depicts a white male police officer arresting a black man. It is an overly simplistic portrayal of police officers meant to incite hatred for all police officers. Yet I live in Chicago and most of the police officers I see in my area are black and Hispanic. Most shootings that occur between civilians and police officers start because civilians shot at police officers multiple times after being told to drop their weapon. This book says nothing about the fact that most shootings are caused by civilians shooting police officers first. This book also says nothing about how we are going to end racism. Teaching white people to hate themselves does not end racism, but that's exactly what this book is doing. It is teaching that whiteness is bad and that white people should all be ashamed of themselves.
This book also shows the child accusing their parent of not teaching them real history instead of having a conversation about it and trying to learn more. This book incites children to hate their parents instead of having a discussion.
Lastly, if whiteness is a problem, then why is this book not offering any solutions? This book seems to only share the idea that whiteness is a problem while ignoring any possible solutions. I seriously hope one of the solutions is not to kill police officers because last summer numerous police officers were killed in riots and some of them were black male police officers.
This book is also spreading the message that all police officers are racist and cannot be trusted. Once again, this is not true. The truth is that the vast majority of police officers are not racist and many of them are in interracial relationships themselves. The truth is that we also have a growing number of police officers who are black, Hispanic, Asian, biracial, and multiracial. This book only depicts a white male police officer arresting a black man. It is an overly simplistic portrayal of police officers meant to incite hatred for all police officers. Yet I live in Chicago and most of the police officers I see in my area are black and Hispanic. Most shootings that occur between civilians and police officers start because civilians shot at police officers multiple times after being told to drop their weapon. This book says nothing about the fact that most shootings are caused by civilians shooting police officers first. This book also says nothing about how we are going to end racism. Teaching white people to hate themselves does not end racism, but that's exactly what this book is doing. It is teaching that whiteness is bad and that white people should all be ashamed of themselves.
This book also shows the child accusing their parent of not teaching them real history instead of having a conversation about it and trying to learn more. This book incites children to hate their parents instead of having a discussion.
Lastly, if whiteness is a problem, then why is this book not offering any solutions? This book seems to only share the idea that whiteness is a problem while ignoring any possible solutions. I seriously hope one of the solutions is not to kill police officers because last summer numerous police officers were killed in riots and some of them were black male police officers.
April 14, 2021
A teacher at the middle school where I work asked me to purchase this book for our library. I have not read the other books in this series.
The mixed media art style certainly kept my attention and I think the middle school students will also enjoy pouring over these pages filled with various textures layered on a brown parchment background.
The message that someone can be white without signing on to whiteness resonated with me, especially when I think about middle schoolers. While some may criticize the lack of detail in this book pertaining to specific events, when I think about how this book may be used with older elementary students and middle schoolers, I think the general circumstances presented allows a parent or teacher to open up a discussion on whiteness, which is the point of the book.
The book concludes with a strong call to action for the reader that I hope also inspires the adults reading it. It certainly was a good reminder for me. "A strong internal sense of justice will not fail you - even when a lack of justice in the world does."
The mixed media art style certainly kept my attention and I think the middle school students will also enjoy pouring over these pages filled with various textures layered on a brown parchment background.
The message that someone can be white without signing on to whiteness resonated with me, especially when I think about middle schoolers. While some may criticize the lack of detail in this book pertaining to specific events, when I think about how this book may be used with older elementary students and middle schoolers, I think the general circumstances presented allows a parent or teacher to open up a discussion on whiteness, which is the point of the book.
The book concludes with a strong call to action for the reader that I hope also inspires the adults reading it. It certainly was a good reminder for me. "A strong internal sense of justice will not fail you - even when a lack of justice in the world does."
August 22, 2018
This is an essential book about coming to terms with whiteness, acknowledging privilege, and recognizing that all of us, including white parents, are implicated by systems of oppression that benefit white people and reward us for failing to deal with racism, both internal and external. Past that, this book gives invaluable emotional opportunities directly to children to try to think beyond this inherited paradigm. A complex topic handled deftly is this author's trademark (I love TELL ME ABOUT SEX, GRANDMA so so much), and this book is no exception to her able skills. A great tool for parents, educators, family members, kids that white people need to do work to actively push back against racism—and that work IS possible, even if hard, and crucial.
May 31, 2019
This book absolutely floored me. It is incredible. I'm not even sure if I can write a proper review for it. No, I'm 100% sure that I can't write a review that does this book justice. What a necessary and vital book for children (and their parents!!) to read today. Higginbotham does not shy away from the realities of racism in our society today and she treats children as intelligent and aware beings, capable of making their choices. That being said it is addressed towards slightly older children, but this would totally be a great choice for parents who want or need to have this discussion with their children and don't know where to start. Very thought-provoking and well constructed. Also, the illustrations were beautiful and engaging.
October 4, 2018
This author's approach to presenting "ordinary terrible things" to children reminds me of Viggo Mortensen's character in "Captain Fantastic". She has a great deal of respect for the intelligence of children and their ability to understand difficult subjects. She is also very creative in the ways she illustrates her books. This was a positive eye opening experience for this grandmother to read two of her books. Thank you, Anastasia.
March 21, 2019
A no punches pulled, honest look at white privilege and white responsibility. I might buy a copy of this so I have it on hand when H starts asking these questions.
February 20, 2019
I am buying this for all of my friends who have children from now until forever. This book gave me chills. It provides a way for parents, care takers and children to engage in a discussion about whiteness, how to talk about it, and what is being portrayed in the media about racism and police brutality. So well written!
October 12, 2018
Outstanding. Uncomfortable. Important.
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