“The mess we are living in is a deliberate one. If it was created by people, it can be dismantled by people, and it can be rebuilt in a way that serves all, rather than a selfish, hoarding few.”

Looking through the quotes for this book on Goodreads, I began to see the tiny details that I missed reading the book out loud. This is not a one time read. It’s a seep into your soul kind of book that will live with you until you die. Because Eddo-Lodge asks all the right questions.

What is racism? Does someone with white skin really know what it means? I think women of any color can have the closest idea because, at least in America, women were treated as animals without an identity until the 1970s when strong minded woman started to take a stand. But what about the rest? What about the powerful white man that passes over a resume because the name sounds too foreign? What about the white person that goes for their friend instead of the black skinned woman applying? What about… What about… What about…

Eddo-Lodge holds nothing back in her book and most of it comes from her own experiences. Leading to the reason why she decided not to discuss racism with white people anymore. She shows that racism is a structural system run by the people in power, who happen to be mostly white. They are the ones with the power to make decisions. To hire people. To let people of color make the same amount of money. But most of the time they don’t. It’s not just poverty that holds colored people back, it’s also the opportunities they’re refused, so that even when they arrive, they don’t have the same leg up as someone white. Ignoring the very privilege that white skin gives you is essentially being racist.

“White privilege is an absence of the consequences of racism. An absence of structural discrimination, an absence of your race being viewed as a problem first and foremost.”

Below are my overall ratings for this book:

Researched: 5/5

What I learned: 4/5

Writing: 3/5

Recommend to a friend: 4/5

Relevance: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Broken into six sections, each one covers the common topics Eddo-Lodge has come across: being black and feminist, a black planet, race and class, history, the overall system, and defining white privilege. You can tell a lot of research went into the book. Everything is nicely annotated, helping readers look more into a certain topic if they’re interested. Eddo-Lodge even went and talked to people against her stance and beliefs.

Now, all of this doesn’t mean the book was amazing. First, there was a massive disconnect for me. The book is based around racism in the UK, which is different than how it is here in the US. Not everything lines up, especially when it comes to racism and feminism, - the one chapter I didn’t agree with Eddo-Lodge entirely. And maybe I’m biased, surrounding myself with people that want to end racism as well as build up feminism. For me, to believe in one you must believe in the other. The two are essentially the same thing, equality for all, but I guess that is not the case in the UK.

“Discussing racism is not the same thing as discussing 'black identity'. Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It's about white anxiety. It's about asking why whiteness has this reflexive need to define itself against immigrant bogey monsters in order to feel comfortable, safe and secure. Why am I saying one thing, and white people are hearing something completely different?”

Second, the writing was also a lot. Eddo-Lodge didn’t leave room to breath, she kept throwing fact after fact at you. I wouldn’t have minded a few side tangents or internal musings to help me process the names and topics she covered. And again, here is where the disconnect of being based in the UK played a huge roll. All of the policies and people she talked about are in the British government. There’s nothing about racism in the US. Even the history chapter doesn’t really apply to someone in the US, though it was very interesting to see how it different it is.

I don’t say all of this to make you not read the book. I’m just saying to read it with an open mind. Get past the first chapter, I highly recommend you still read it, and you’ll see how racism is the same here as it is in the UK. Being colored is being colored no matter where you live. It would just appear that the US might be slightly more ahead on equality then the UK.

“Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can't afford to stay silent.”

Though I would have loved a more positive ending, something to tell me how I can make a change, I definitely recommend this book. My eyes were opened even more. I saw the world through someone else's eyes and it brought to light the real problem. Maybe I can’t change it personally. But I can correct people’s words. I can fight for the colored man. I can remind people that they are just like us. There’s no difference just because their skin is different. I can raise my kids to not see a person by their skin color and to love a person because they are human just like them. The point is, I can refuse to stay silent.

Love Kait

Happy Reading

Reading Challenge: 37/100