Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
- Downloads：6637
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-07 04:30:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anastasia Higginbotham
- ISBN：1948340003
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Not My Idea， the latest in the critically-acclaimed Ordinary Terrible Things series， is a book about whiteness。
A white child sees TV news coverage of a white police officer shooting a brown person whose hands were up。 Upset， he asks his mother why; she deflects， assuring him that he is safe。 Later， they visit an aunt and uncle， where the TV， always on， shows a rally in response to the police shooting。 The child glimpses a moving press conference with the victim’s family while his aunt claims she simply “can’t watch the news。”
The book’s narrator accompanies the child as he faces history and himself。 The activities section urges kids to grow justice （“like a bean sprout in a milk carton”） inside of themselves， seek out and listen to the truth about racism and white supremacy， and prepare to be changed， heartbroken， and liberated by this experience。
Part history lesson， part compassionate primer to assist children （and parents） past defensiveness， Not My Idea is a tangible tool for necessary conversations。
A white child sees TV news coverage of a white police officer shooting a brown person whose hands were up。 Upset， he asks his mother why; she deflects， assuring him that he is safe。 Later， they visit an aunt and uncle， where the TV， always on， shows a rally in response to the police shooting。 The child glimpses a moving press conference with the victim’s family while his aunt claims she simply “can’t watch the news。”
The book’s narrator accompanies the child as he faces history and himself。 The activities section urges kids to grow justice （“like a bean sprout in a milk carton”） inside of themselves， seek out and listen to the truth about racism and white supremacy， and prepare to be changed， heartbroken， and liberated by this experience。
Part history lesson， part compassionate primer to assist children （and parents） past defensiveness， Not My Idea is a tangible tool for necessary conversations。
Reviews
james McDowelle
，
This book is being vilified but it is just a simple common sense book for children， advising how to deal with racism。 Author simply states that racism exists and we all need to know how to deal with it。
Christopher Bre
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I will absolutely never let my kids read this。 I will not make them feel ashamed for being born in the wrong color skin。 I will not shame them for the evil actions of men/women that they had nothing to do with。 Our young people - of all colors， shapes and sizes - don't need more reasons to feel self conscious about their appearance。 I will absolutely never let my kids read this。 I will not make them feel ashamed for being born in the wrong color skin。 I will not shame them for the evil actions of men/women that they had nothing to do with。 Our young people - of all colors， shapes and sizes - don't need more reasons to feel self conscious about their appearance。 。。。more
Kathy Doby
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I agree with the premise that we should teach our children about injustice and evil in this world and encourage them to be brave enough to stand against it。 However， that message gets lost in the shaming: “Whiteness is a BAD deal”， “Dude， I can see your pointy tail”， （insinuating that white people are the devil）。 How is this considered anti-racist？ We should be teaching children about the evil that is part of the human condition， not attributing evil to people based on the color of their skin。 I agree with the premise that we should teach our children about injustice and evil in this world and encourage them to be brave enough to stand against it。 However， that message gets lost in the shaming: “Whiteness is a BAD deal”， “Dude， I can see your pointy tail”， （insinuating that white people are the devil）。 How is this considered anti-racist？ We should be teaching children about the evil that is part of the human condition， not attributing evil to people based on the color of their skin。 The book mentions a few white people who were brave enough to reject their “whiteness”， and encourages white children to do the same。 It over simplifies complex issues。 In the author’s view， calling looting and destroying property a “riot” and being concerned over safety even if there is an actual reason to fear for your safety is racist。 Saying “that policeman was only doing his job” is racist—doesn’t matter what the context is。 Turning off the TV because the news is too violent for a young child to watch is racist。 I came across this book in the Easy Reader section of my Library—my 5 year old grandson is in a very diverse school。 He sees other kids and just wants to be their friend。 I can talk to him about news events and tell him about the atrocities committed by ignorant and sometimes evil people against people of color in a way that invokes compassion and a longing for justice， because he loves his friends。 Or， I can read him books like this and watch those sweet friendships disintegrate as he is filled with shame over his “whiteness” and comes to view people of color as victims rather than friends。 。。。more
Judith
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Brilliant！ The mom isn’t blamed or shamed at all。 We can see that she is concentrating on protecting her daughter， and assuring her child of her safety。 True， she did not set aside her fears when asked， but that’s such a human situation。 And why it’s so great that there are books like this to help us learn about things we might not learn about at home or at school。 Kids know that nobody’s going to ask them to shoulder all the blame for injustice that wasn’t their idea in the first place。 For gro Brilliant！ The mom isn’t blamed or shamed at all。 We can see that she is concentrating on protecting her daughter， and assuring her child of her safety。 True， she did not set aside her fears when asked， but that’s such a human situation。 And why it’s so great that there are books like this to help us learn about things we might not learn about at home or at school。 Kids know that nobody’s going to ask them to shoulder all the blame for injustice that wasn’t their idea in the first place。 For grownups it’s not as simple， but we can learn， and we can change。 And listen to the children。 。。。more
David Rempel
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I like the idea of this book， and I think that aspects of it are great。 Near the end it becomes much more purposeful and clear in its call-to-action。 I find it to be very accurate in its portrayal of white fragility and the fence-sitting， dismissive subtlety of modern racism。 However， I think the ambiguity goes a little too far。 I think that children need more of a clear understanding。 the subtlety and the little hidden discoveries worked great for me as an adult， who could connect the reference I like the idea of this book， and I think that aspects of it are great。 Near the end it becomes much more purposeful and clear in its call-to-action。 I find it to be very accurate in its portrayal of white fragility and the fence-sitting， dismissive subtlety of modern racism。 However， I think the ambiguity goes a little too far。 I think that children need more of a clear understanding。 the subtlety and the little hidden discoveries worked great for me as an adult， who could connect the references in the subtle details。 But for children this could be harder to connect and to make meaning from the seemingly random images。 The artwork is very creative， and the purpose of creating a book for white children to help them come to terms with white fragility is a great idea， and the book is a strong effort。 I will be using this with students as a social justice text in particular units， and I will likely read this with my girls when it comes up。 But I think it will require a great deal of explanation。 Then again， maybe that's the point: to encourage conversation， and to encourage kids to ask when their parents don't inform them。 。。。more
Courtney
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This is a kid's book， but I sort of feel like a copy of it needs to be issued to every white person。 It's a basic beginner's guide to dealing with things like white supremacy and privlege， told on a way that kids can understand and that allows them to think about things and see that they can make a difference。 This is a kid's book， but I sort of feel like a copy of it needs to be issued to every white person。 It's a basic beginner's guide to dealing with things like white supremacy and privlege， told on a way that kids can understand and that allows them to think about things and see that they can make a difference。 。。。more
Jackie Aguilera
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A Marxist take on teaching White kids that being born White is somehow wrong and they are evil。 。 The fact that this book is being used to indoctrinate some children in certain school systems is beyond belief。
Laura Salas
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An astonishingly direct， honest book written to kids about whiteness， anti-racism， and white supremacy。 Every classroom and every family should have a copy。
Mark Halse
，
I was looking for a book to teach my six year old about race in America。 This book makes some good points that are spoiled by vague notions and race hatred。
Dena Vincent
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This is a picture book that according to Amazon is for ages 8-12。 When I think of a picture book I think of a younger age group （Pre-School to grade 3）。 In fact the first few pages makes you think the child is younger than 8。 However， later in the book the child is yelling at her mom "Why didn't anyone teach me real history？" A child under the age of 8 would not be yelling this at their mother in this way and the mother's response "Okay！ Geez！ you don't have to yell。" is something you'd say to a This is a picture book that according to Amazon is for ages 8-12。 When I think of a picture book I think of a younger age group （Pre-School to grade 3）。 In fact the first few pages makes you think the child is younger than 8。 However， later in the book the child is yelling at her mom "Why didn't anyone teach me real history？" A child under the age of 8 would not be yelling this at their mother in this way and the mother's response "Okay！ Geez！ you don't have to yell。" is something you'd say to an older child （most likely in their teens）。 The book just felt off to me。 It had an identity crisis。 It felt forced。 The book was written to preach not for a particular audience。 The book would have been more effective it would have picked an audience and spoke to that audience。 There are better books on the subject for that age group。 。。。more
Katrina
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An introduction to white privilege。 Needs some information about how to gain the knowledge it tells kids to get。 Needs a call to action or tips on how parents can explain the news。。。。
Carly
，
Very powerful
K。 McDevitt
，
"Racism was not your idea。 You don't need to defend it。" We read this book during our church service today。 It was an honest look for kids and families at facing the racial issues in America today。 It does a great job of presenting the problem， showing some ways to react， and allowing for space for the readers to really think and talk about reactions to each page。 As a standalone， it definitely doesn't give enough historical context for the truths。 However， it does introduce the problem and help "Racism was not your idea。 You don't need to defend it。" We read this book during our church service today。 It was an honest look for kids and families at facing the racial issues in America today。 It does a great job of presenting the problem， showing some ways to react， and allowing for space for the readers to really think and talk about reactions to each page。 As a standalone， it definitely doesn't give enough historical context for the truths。 However， it does introduce the problem and helps to start the awareness and dialogue。The images are amazing: drawings and cut-outs forming collage scenes。 I like the effect of the brown paper background as well。"Racial justice is possible， but only if we're honest with each other and ourselves。" 。。。more
Annetha
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I really， REALLY wanted to love this one。 Fantastic idea， but as others have said in their reviews just as the author was getting to a really good point she would drop off or become frustratingly vague。 Perhaps this is an attempt to make the book more timeless and less dated？ I found these drops irritating。 This is an excellent idea and this book would be a good introduction to wrestling with some of these concepts， but be prepared to ad lib and explain a lot along the way。
Brooke
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This is a new type of book for me - a book on racism aimed at white readers by white people。 This book shows white privilege， micro-aggressions， and kids confusion when it comes to learning about racism。Unfortunately， I do not feel like this is a book meant for kids。 Unlike other kids' books on racism I have read， this book is choppy， does not use simple terms or explain terms， or the history behind racism。 This is a new type of book for me - a book on racism aimed at white readers by white people。 This book shows white privilege， micro-aggressions， and kids confusion when it comes to learning about racism。Unfortunately， I do not feel like this is a book meant for kids。 Unlike other kids' books on racism I have read， this book is choppy， does not use simple terms or explain terms， or the history behind racism。 。。。more
Deborah Carter
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Sweet and easy ‘on ramp’ for white families engaging in discussions of race and the responsibilities of white children and their families to learn about everyday racism in the world today。 A radical and compassionate approach。
Amy
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If you want your child to think being white makes you bad， being a police officer makes you unjust and a being a person of color makes you a victim， then this is your book。
Lisa
，
While the subject matter is timely and could potentially lead to some great discussions about race and racism in the US and how we treat our fellow human beings， the story leaves a lot to be desired in terms of what "whiteness" is other than being guilty of being born Caucasian， which then begs the question--is this not the definition racism--that you are bad just because of your skin color？ Seriously， no person， let alone a child， should ever be made to feel bad for what they look like and gene While the subject matter is timely and could potentially lead to some great discussions about race and racism in the US and how we treat our fellow human beings， the story leaves a lot to be desired in terms of what "whiteness" is other than being guilty of being born Caucasian， which then begs the question--is this not the definition racism--that you are bad just because of your skin color？ Seriously， no person， let alone a child， should ever be made to feel bad for what they look like and genetics。 Even the author's contract about letting go of whiteness assumes only Caucasians engage in bad kinds of behavior--messing with people's lives， appropriating wealth and land from others， exploitation， etc。 If anything， that contract shows the author's own ignorance of the world and what is happening and has happened in it。 Also， many of the thoughts are disjointed and present many of the stereotypes about white people while ignoring basic facts and statistics。 For example， people of color are more likely to be denied loans by lenders who are themselves people of color than by white people who are lending money。 As one of the other commentators on here mention， you need someone well versed in history， statistics， and law to sort out the outright lies， overgeneralizations， half-truths， and truths presented in this book。 This is something most adults cannot do on their own， and we simply cannot expect children to do so。 One point that the book makes is that we need to connect with others。 This is something that any human being regardless of color can certainly benefit from--connection and understanding。 I think this alone would lead to more love， forgiveness， and selflessness than anything else。 。。。more
Erin
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Read this with my 6 and 8 year olds。 It was a powerful way to get across that color does matter。
Sarah T。
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This book is really incredible。 A great way to introduce kids to the concept of what white supremacy is， how to combat it as a kid， and how to grow up not buying into the idea of "whiteness。" This book is really incredible。 A great way to introduce kids to the concept of what white supremacy is， how to combat it as a kid， and how to grow up not buying into the idea of "whiteness。" 。。。more
G D'ANNA
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This is a great book for white kids to read， or have read to them， where they can begin to learn that history books lie about race relations， and that racism is a problem white people need to fix。 The collage style of the book was also beautiful to look at。 Must-have for a young kid/s library。
Natalia Devlin
，
I liked the honesty and directness of this book。
Courtney
，
This is the talk white parents need to be having with their children。 Also， I love the collage illustrations。
Lesley
，
Excellent book for kids （and adults） on the reality of being white and ignorant and fostering engagement in your children rather than perpetuating the 'blindness' that I know I was certainly raised with and work daily to overcome。 Excellent book for kids （and adults） on the reality of being white and ignorant and fostering engagement in your children rather than perpetuating the 'blindness' that I know I was certainly raised with and work daily to overcome。 。。。more
Susan Menk
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racism， whiteness， speak up， justice， equality， plain talk， knowledge is power， school， children and parents，
Ivy Moser
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Wow。 Possibly as impactful to parents as to children。 This book doesn't mess around and I LOVE that--it gets right to the heart of parental avoidance of the issue of racism and how dangerous that it is for kids （and everyone） and shows kids how to ask and learn and not be afraid of either of those things。 Wow。 Possibly as impactful to parents as to children。 This book doesn't mess around and I LOVE that--it gets right to the heart of parental avoidance of the issue of racism and how dangerous that it is for kids （and everyone） and shows kids how to ask and learn and not be afraid of either of those things。 。。。more
Yvette Chavez
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Star rating: 5Copyright: 2018Genre: Realistic - fictionTheme（s）: Racism; social injustice I like how the main character in the book shows her interest of being aware of the world around her， as she wants to educate herself about racism and social injustice。 I think this would be a great way to talk about how we must become aware of how prevalent racism is in our communities。
Simone
，
Such a much needed highly resourceful book for children to discuss on hard yet important topics。 It is important to open a safe discussion to share the history and the state of the world they are living in。 Not only understand their privileges but find ways that applies to them in their day to day lives。
Sinclair
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great kids book。 love the illustrations。
carmoucm
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