book ReviewWhite Fragility is a nonfiction novel in which Robin DiAngelo looks into the relationship between race, racism, and white people. The book’s intended audience is white people, and DiAngelo discusses at length what she believes to be one of the root causes of disconnect between people of color and white people when talking about racial issue: white fragility. The book breaks down ideas on preconceived notions of what racism is, and forces readers to look and think about their daily lives and interactions in a different light, to hopefully help our society move forward towards a more truly progressive state. This novel has been on my TBR for a long time. And to be honest, the reason I didn’t pick it up sooner is because I didn’t want to be that white person. You know, the one that thinks they’re so cool and progressive because they read books about why white people aren’t cool and progressive. I was worried people would judge me as uppity and stuck up because I’m in an interracial relationship and now think I’m so “woke” and I don’t know. But I let this fear keep me from reading this book until I was stuck at home in quarantine. I've decided to post a review of it because I've read a lot of novels that involve race these last few weeks, and everything going on in the world. I thought this novel would take a while to read. Being about some important and often heavy topics, I figured it would take me a week to read. But I flew through it in two days. And I don’t know if I can say my original fears before reading were erased by this book, but I wasn’t going to review it originally. It’s too important of a book to not review. DiAngelo is a white woman whose job is to go to different jobs and lead discussions about racial issues in the workplace. Typically with a room full of white people. And she runs into the same issues again and again about people and what they think racism is and isn’t. While I won’t go into all of her ideas and how she breaks it down for readers, I wanted to start with this to give background on why she is a great person to write this book. She uses examples about sexism to create connections to racism in a really constructive way. She addresses that the title of the book will upset people, but that’s kind of part of the goal of the book: to push people out of their comfort zone which will be upsetting. If you are someone who has read a lot of literature on racial issues, this book might feel rudimentary and repetitive. It is, but that’s the whole point. Most of the book is spent deconstructing ideas white people have on racism and racial issues. At the end, the author goes into examples on how to be supportive of people of color, how to positively respond to criticism, and how to help others see problematic actions or statements. Part of me wished this part was longer, or more in depth, but I also understand that this book’s primary goal was to first push people towards new thinking and that before someone can truly be helpful, they have to see how their thought processes are flawed. My other wish for the book is that the author used more examples from her work experience. Parts of the book can feel too theoretical, and it was when examples were used that I feel the ideas were best represented and came across clearly. It was also easier to be engaged with the examples, which are easier to refer to when considering things in my life. This book is important in the discussion of racial issues and injustices within America. I think being written by a white person makes the book more accessible. People have a hard time taking criticism, especially from the person they committed the action against. Men don’t want women telling them how sexist they are, women just become sensitive and hormonal. However, if another guy steps up and says what’s going on is wrong, they still might not take it well, but it’s given more credit. All of the negative reviews that I have read show the same thought patterns that the book works to break down. And readers aren’t meant to love this book. This book is meant to challenge you, force you to look at yourself critically, and dig up deeply ingrained social norms. That’s why everyone should read this book. Even if you think you already know everything, even if you think you aren’t racist. This book is bigger than any single person. And that’s why we have to take it seriously. This book has left me with a lot to think about. With how I interact with my SO and their family, with how to interact with my family who are the people who get overly defensive when race is brought up, with how I view myself. While it only took me 2 days to read, I know it will take longer to digest, which makes it hard to say this is a finished review. However, I also think this is a topic I will never be finished considering. Which is the point. feminist anaylsisI can’t do a proper analysis of this novel. While it includes tons of feminist content within its examples, and it fits so well with the article “Race, Class, Age and Sex” by Audre Lorde, I don’t want to pull away from this books message by trying to give it another. If you’re interested in learning more about why sexism and racism are connected, definitely read the article I mentioned above. But really, take the time to read this book for its messages.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Hello, love! Please, don't mind the cat hair. I'm a lover of all genres (except romance, ironic, I know), and potentially --accidentally-- obsessed with feminist literary theory. Feel free to scroll around, hopefully see a few cats, and find a good new book or two!
ArchivesCategories
All
|