Title: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
Author: Reni Eddo-Lodge
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: E-Book
Length: 249 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus
Publication Date: 1st June 2017
My Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Goodreads | Storygraph
Synopsis:
In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ that led to this book.
Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.
My Review:
This book has been popping up on my Twitter and Instagram feed and so I decided to give it a read.
Reni explains in her book, that she isn’t speaking to every individual white person, but the ones who don’t want to listen, who shut down any discussion about race.
In this book, Reni unravels the history of racism, particularly in the UK. She discusses the system, the “fear of a black planet” and feminism. She questions white privilege, naivety and social guilt through different chapters and people. She raises the question about a topic that you hardly learn about in school – slavery and racism in Britain.
I absorbed this book in two days, the author raised some important topics that are also frustrating. I learned a lot while reading this book. It’s not about feeling guilty about your privilege but to be aware of them, and talk about the issues she raised.
She calls for us to not just tweet about racial justice and call it a job well done but to look at our own lives first and engage in difficult conversations with friends, family and co-workers. It’s not always easy, and it may frustrate people but staying silent isn’t an option and it only enforces a racist society to grow.
This book is a must-read, Reni is logical, precise and powerful in her narrative of the history and politics of racism. This book began with a blog post, which you can read here.
