This is another recommendation from my partner, he leant it to me after hearing that I have never read it! Honestly that is a pretty high recommendation right there. He has also leant this out to other coworkers as well, it is a much loved copy of this book. And I really cannot agree more, this book is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to discuss race or fight racism in the world.
Oluo makes this book so accessible and easy to read. She is writing for everyone, not just white people, even though parts of the book are aimed at specifically white people. She never talks down to the reader and addresses all qualms a reader might have with clear language that explain complicated concepts really well. She excellently captures the nuance in ideas like cultural appropriation, tone policing, and affirmative action, and couples all of these with anecdotes from her own life.
The best aspect of this book though is how practical it all is. As indicated in the title, she gives various step-by-step guides on how to discuss these issues and how to react to racism when you see it out in the world. And even though talking is in the title and the focus of the book, in the final chapter she takes us to task and reminds us that talking can not be the end all be all of our anti-racism work. We must turn these words into actions in order to actually make a change.
This book is wonderful, it is captivating and really makes
you think about yourself and how you interact with racial issues. I have been
reading about race for a while now and I learned so much from it. I am certain
that I will be implementing her strategies in future interactions regarding
race.
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