From the Bookshelf of Words Between Worlds…

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Reni Eddo-Lodge

Start date: March 1, 2018

Finish date: March 31, 2018

Why we're reading this: I came across a friend recently who, out of the goodness of her heart, was suggesting I apply to a specif…more
[close] I came across a friend recently who, out of the goodness of her heart, was suggesting I apply to a specific job posting she saw. "The post said they're looking specifically for people of color."

At that point, I rolled my eyes. While I completely appreciate her wanting to find jobs for me, I really don't appreciate a job specifically looking for people of color. It's in an effort to diversify their headcount, but I don't want to be hired because I'm Asian. I want to be hired because I'm the most capable person to do the job.

We had a long discussion on how this made me feel and her argument was "well, how do you expect a company to get more diverse people to apply?"

The world gets tough when you're a person of color. You can't see if what is being done for you is genuine or if you're just a statistic and a checkbox to mark off. You can't see yourself doing specific jobs because they just don't feel like something meant for you as a person of color.

That's why I want to explore this book. I have a lot of thoughts on race and even though I'm Asian and less marginalized than other races, I do still face my own demons and discriminations. I think this will definitely speak directly to that feeling that sometimes white people just don't understand race.

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What Members Thought

Mar 19, 2018 Katy O. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, adult-reads

This book taught me so much about race history and politics in England. It is very academic in nature and is thoroughly researched. As a White woman, I read it and just listened, if that makes sense? I’m really sitting with this one for awhile to let it all sink in and to figure out my most effective way of making an impact in combatting racism ~ much as I did after reading TEARS WE CANNOT STOP and WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST. But this book is so so much more than race. It includes the necess ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2018 Catie added it · review of another edition

Shelves: feminism, non-fiction, read-2018, book-club, politics, essays, race

@words.between.worlds Book Club - March 2018

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2018 Mariel rated it really liked it

Este libro es importante, porque el tema es incomodo para muchas personas.Es más fácil no hablar de temas incómodos que escuchar y saber argumentar.

Ahora, no estoy totalmente de acuerdo con todo lo que dijo la autora, le encontré un pesimismo hacia el futuro el cual no comparto. Personalmente no creo que hayan diferentes razas, es más un invento social para encontrar más razones para categorizar. (💕 @humanae_project) Sí tenemos muchas diferencias, y diferentes pasados y culturas.

Por esa razón es ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2018 Trish (readtmc) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

I wish I was as well-spoken as Reni Eddo-Lodge to express the magnitude of how much I learned from her book. Eddo-Lodge deftly supports her arguments chapter by chapter. Not only did I learn more about the British racial landscape, but my mindset approaching racial issues has changed based on the framework Eddo-Lodge poses here. This book has laid the foundation and has given me the language for discussions about race and privilege that I’ll come back to. Buy the book and keep your highlighters ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 30, 2019 Steph rated it it was amazing

This book made me feel very uncomfortable. Thats the main reason why I’m rating 5 stars and not 4.

I’ll admit, I’m not white, but my mother is, and I grew up under her wing in closely ensconced by her bubbled-world. She is amazing, but she is also naive. I was completely unprepared as a child entering primary school to learn that I was not, in fact, white. That I was not the normal. I was other, and it was an awful realisation. One that I’ve struggled with to this very day.

This book made me feel ...more

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Apr 20, 2018 Jolene rated it it was amazing

Super helpful book for understanding structural racism, black history in Britain, and white privilege. Her writing is tenacious and unapologetic. While there were parts that made me uncomfortable (b/c I felt like she was addressing my thoughts or actions directly) and it’s mainly focused on the UK, I am glad I read this as I felt like I learned a lot from her perspective and have much to process as I think about my own biases and prejudices.

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