Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
- Downloads：4299
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-07 16:32:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emmanuel Acho
- ISBN：1250800471
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jen
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Engaging style。 I want to watch his videos next。
Julie Murphy
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Read for a book club for work and learned so much。 Please please take the time to learn more about race and all the implications of race tension in our country。
Chelsea
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As a white person this book was what I needed to help me understand。 I thought I knew before but this book helped me to realise that I can never really know and why that's important。 I listened to the audiobook and having someone like Emmanuel talking to me directly was really impactful。 As a white person this book was what I needed to help me understand。 I thought I knew before but this book helped me to realise that I can never really know and why that's important。 I listened to the audiobook and having someone like Emmanuel talking to me directly was really impactful。 。。。more
Stephanie C
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great book。 Definitely will recommend book， we each have work to do to be better and to do better。。
Just Janet
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A note of caution， when reading "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man，" be sure to bring a pen and paper。 There will be homework。 In this book， Emmanuel Acho "goes there" and tackles uncomfortable topics to include the N-word， systemic racism， interracial dating， and why no one can touch a black woman's hair。 This is a good read。 I highly recommend it as an excellent place to begin having candid discussions about race relations in the USA among all people of color and non-color。 We all s A note of caution， when reading "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man，" be sure to bring a pen and paper。 There will be homework。 In this book， Emmanuel Acho "goes there" and tackles uncomfortable topics to include the N-word， systemic racism， interracial dating， and why no one can touch a black woman's hair。 This is a good read。 I highly recommend it as an excellent place to begin having candid discussions about race relations in the USA among all people of color and non-color。 We all should strive to be advocates of change and move through life in ways that are anti-racism。 。。。more
Danyelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 YES: an important books for teens to read with concrete information about being anti-racist， written by an author they might actually care to listen to。 An extensive bibliography makes it a great jumping-off point for further research。 Some problematic aspects （antifeminist viewpoints） do not completely detract from the work。
Lisa Hammer
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Listened to the audiobook。。。an easy listen read by the author。 A good introduction to racial justice， also provides some good resources for further learning。
Gabby Spiller
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I’m going to make this review short and sweet simply because I truly loved it and can’t find enough good things to say。 I’m a huge fan of Emmanuel Acho’s “Uncomfortable Conversations with A Black Man” YouTube series and knew I had to check out the book。 （If you haven’t seen the videos yet， please do yourself a favor and watch them。） I have even been a fan of Emmanuel’s when he was on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013-15 （GO BIRDS！ 🦅）。 Reading this one really opened my eyes to things that I wouldn’ I’m going to make this review short and sweet simply because I truly loved it and can’t find enough good things to say。 I’m a huge fan of Emmanuel Acho’s “Uncomfortable Conversations with A Black Man” YouTube series and knew I had to check out the book。 （If you haven’t seen the videos yet， please do yourself a favor and watch them。） I have even been a fan of Emmanuel’s when he was on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013-15 （GO BIRDS！ 🦅）。 Reading this one really opened my eyes to things that I wouldn’t even think of and truly educated me。 It was insightful， emotional， and at times jarring。 He has this voice throughout the book that makes you feel like he understands you and truly cares about you understanding him。 5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Amy Kett
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I think this book might be helpful for someone who has never really engaged with any kind of dialogue about race before， but it wouldn't be my first choice even for that。 The structure of the book felt cheesy to me， and Acho seemed to be playing very conservative ball （to use one of his sports metaphors）。 It very much felt like a book written by a personality， which it was-no shade there， it just wasn't really my thing。 I think this book might be helpful for someone who has never really engaged with any kind of dialogue about race before， but it wouldn't be my first choice even for that。 The structure of the book felt cheesy to me， and Acho seemed to be playing very conservative ball （to use one of his sports metaphors）。 It very much felt like a book written by a personality， which it was-no shade there， it just wasn't really my thing。 。。。more
Lacey
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Favorite quotes （I wore out my highlighter on this one）:“I bet。。。it’s tough， if not impossible， to hold bigoted thoughts about someone whose humanity you recognize。 I’d double down: it would take some next-level self-deluding to discriminate against someone you respect enough to listen to。”“。。。getting uncomfortable is the whole idea。 Everything great is birthed through discomfort。” “Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance。”“Everyone， and I mean everyone， has biases。 It’s the job of emp Favorite quotes （I wore out my highlighter on this one）:“I bet。。。it’s tough， if not impossible， to hold bigoted thoughts about someone whose humanity you recognize。 I’d double down: it would take some next-level self-deluding to discriminate against someone you respect enough to listen to。”“。。。getting uncomfortable is the whole idea。 Everything great is birthed through discomfort。” “Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance。”“Everyone， and I mean everyone， has biases。 It’s the job of emphatic and considerate people not to let them dictate actions that harm others。”“What about poor white people， how can they still be ‘privileged’？ What about rich and powerful black people？ Still un-privileged？“。。。white privilege is about the word white， not rich。 It’s having advantage built into your life。 It’s not saying your life hasn’t been hard; it’s saying your skin color hasn’t contributed to the difficulty in your life。” White Privilege:“‘Let’s just say it’s not real。 Let’s just say I’m wrong。。。It means I will have lived my whole life looking out for other people’。。。If he found out he was wrong after all that， he’d still have a life of good deeds。”“One the other hand。。。’If you find out that you were wrong。。。it means that you were stepping on the necks of others your whole life。 Even if I’m wrong， my wrong is better than your wrong。 What do you have to lose？”（Author & Mobel laureate Toni Morrison）:“。。。there is no such thing as race。。。It’s just a human race。 Scientifically， anthropologically。 Racism is a construct—a social construct。 And it has benefits: money can be made off it。 People who don’t like themselves can feel better because of it。 It can describe certain kinds of behavior that are wrong misleading。 So， it has a social function。 Racism。。。But race can only be defined as a human being。” “Is it even possible to end racism？。。。the fact that it was man-made gives me faith that we can still yet undo it。” 。。。more
Kevin Zimmerman
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Very approachable introduction to the sociology of race relations in United States - I enjoyed the format and personal anecdotes， as well as the overall theme that we must be open to getting uncomfortable in order to grow。
Tracy Wheeler
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My primary observation on this book is that i feel I would have gotten more out of reading it than listening to it。 I fell that I would have liked to highlight and re-read parts to get more out of the book。
Linda
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Super accessible， and more so if you’re into sports。 Sports interest not required though。
Tracy
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Highly recommend！！！ Well-written， insightful， and challenging in a good way （not hard to read but Acho gave a lot to think about & plenty of things to do）。 A must read。
Johanna
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This book is well thought out and accessible to beginner allys。 In addition to breaking down questions one wants to ask but is worried about doing so， Acho also provides recommendations for further readings and action-steps。 I highly recommend it for those that are starting their ally journey and want to learn from Black authors。
Cari
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I'm not rating this because this is such an educational book about white people literally having uncomfortable conversations with a black man。 Acho gracefully touches on tough topics white people struggle with involving racism。 Fast paced and interesting to listen too。 Go read this if you are trying to work on being anti-racist。 I'm not rating this because this is such an educational book about white people literally having uncomfortable conversations with a black man。 Acho gracefully touches on tough topics white people struggle with involving racism。 Fast paced and interesting to listen too。 Go read this if you are trying to work on being anti-racist。 。。。more
Kelly Fuddy
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This book is a perfect entry point into understanding racism in 2021 for white people， in a way those who are skeptical can hear it。 Perfect especially for someone who can appreciate a sports analogy。 The message of this book is so well crafted and the messenger gifted。 I want to buy 100 copies and leave them all over my white conservative little town。 I definitely will get one for my parents and grandparents。 This is a book that will help turn hearts。
Erin Nigh
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"White privilege is about the word white， not rich。 It's having advantage built into your life。 It's not saying your life hasn't been hard; it's saying your skin color hasn't contributed to the difficulty in your life。" This was a really informative book， and really easy to read too with short and structured chapters in the form of a Q&A。 The chapter on white privilege was especially great and a super easy to understand way of explaining what it means and what we can do about it。 I would reco "White privilege is about the word white， not rich。 It's having advantage built into your life。 It's not saying your life hasn't been hard; it's saying your skin color hasn't contributed to the difficulty in your life。" This was a really informative book， and really easy to read too with short and structured chapters in the form of a Q&A。 The chapter on white privilege was especially great and a super easy to understand way of explaining what it means and what we can do about it。 I would recommend it to everyone， but I think this book would be especially suited to younger readers （I kept thinking this would be great for high schoolers） as an accessible resource that gives some history and action steps for today。 I loved the writing and I think Emmanuel Acho’s voice translates really well from his videos to this book。 。。。more
Susie | Novel Visits
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Rounded up from 4。5 - Review to follow。
Cory Larson
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Everyone should read this book。 I just purchased a copy to own and share with as many people as I can get to read it。 Phenomenal。
Jess
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This is a great book to read if you are beginning your education on racism in America and the Black Lives Matter movement。 It also provides a lot of additional resources to look into once you complete the book。 I appreciated how approachable the author has made himself regarding these topics。
Mrs。Michelle
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As much as I enjoyed Ibram X。 Kendi's books， this one is much more accessible and less academic， a conversation。 I liked that each chapter has a list of ideas to do in response to that chapter's topic。 I also appreciated the quick talks at the end。 Definitely worth reading and I highly recommend the audio version。 As much as I enjoyed Ibram X。 Kendi's books， this one is much more accessible and less academic， a conversation。 I liked that each chapter has a list of ideas to do in response to that chapter's topic。 I also appreciated the quick talks at the end。 Definitely worth reading and I highly recommend the audio version。 。。。more
Karly
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Thank you Emmanuel for writing this book。 I learned so much from your writing and your videos and I certainly got uncomfortable examining my own biases。One key take away regarding vocabulary is to change saying “slaves” to “enslaved people”。 “Slaves” implies that is what those people were （with no other qualities）。 “Enslaved people” puts the emphasis on what was forced upon these people by white people。This book has got me thinking， relearning and reflecting on how I can do better。 Thank you for Thank you Emmanuel for writing this book。 I learned so much from your writing and your videos and I certainly got uncomfortable examining my own biases。One key take away regarding vocabulary is to change saying “slaves” to “enslaved people”。 “Slaves” implies that is what those people were （with no other qualities）。 “Enslaved people” puts the emphasis on what was forced upon these people by white people。This book has got me thinking， relearning and reflecting on how I can do better。 Thank you for the lessons。 。。。more
Kriste
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Thankful this book touched on transracial relationships （including adoption） and being am ally。
Christianne Wilhelmson
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If you're early on your journey of understanding white supremacy culture and learning about systemic racism， this is a good starter book but would be basic or redundant if you're further into your work。 Well written and accessible。 If you're early on your journey of understanding white supremacy culture and learning about systemic racism， this is a good starter book but would be basic or redundant if you're further into your work。 Well written and accessible。 。。。more
Matt Welch
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Informative…but has a feeling like someone constantly yelling over another viewI’ve read a few books on diversity and inclusiveness。 I sat with friends in both cultures lament the past present and share dreams of a better future。 I hear and listen to the many frustrations shared and the lack of movement to a better world。 The author clearly has pent up anger （justifiable in many cases） but to pretend that this is a conversation to find a way forward is disingenuous。 I thoroughly recommend One Bl Informative…but has a feeling like someone constantly yelling over another viewI’ve read a few books on diversity and inclusiveness。 I sat with friends in both cultures lament the past present and share dreams of a better future。 I hear and listen to the many frustrations shared and the lack of movement to a better world。 The author clearly has pent up anger （justifiable in many cases） but to pretend that this is a conversation to find a way forward is disingenuous。 I thoroughly recommend One Blood by John Perkins as a novel striking at the very heart of division and showing partiality。 One that hopes for a different tomorrow in ways that cut to the root cause。 。。。more
Murray Batt
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This book explains BLM better than anything else i have read; the author is an atypical American Black man， more African than Barack， of a more middle class origin than many former athletes。 It is not hard to quibble with some of his dos and dont’s in the struggle to make America a less racist society， but the thrust of his argument resonates， in our post Trump era of pandemic economic amelioration efforts by Biden’s people and widespread GOP led efforts for （Black）voter suppression。
Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
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This was absolutely fabulous book that I essentially read in two sittings。 While I have read and enjoyed the more academic titles that explore anti-racism， I really appreciated that this was "not a footnote book"， but rather Acho's lived experiences as a black man-specifically a Nigerian-American born and raised in Texas。 While written mostly in response to George Floyd， the topics Acho mentions in his conversations go back a few years。 Not as far back as 1619， but rather to what it was like to This was absolutely fabulous book that I essentially read in two sittings。 While I have read and enjoyed the more academic titles that explore anti-racism， I really appreciated that this was "not a footnote book"， but rather Acho's lived experiences as a black man-specifically a Nigerian-American born and raised in Texas。 While written mostly in response to George Floyd， the topics Acho mentions in his conversations go back a few years。 Not as far back as 1619， but rather to what it was like to be black in the NFL （interestingly， he doesn't use the capital B） ahead of and during Colin Kaepernick's protests。 He was a teammate of Riley Cooper and used that incident to tell one particular chapter。 Each chapter is phrased with a question， Acho's answer followed by advice "how to walk the walk" and a deeper level， where it got "uncomfortable"。 I really liked how he continually developed questions he'd addressed earlier， referenced further readings and really pursued the depth of these myriad issues。 I appreciated the chapter in which he addressed Amy Cooper's Karen in context of her contemporaries， but also the Miss Ann of plantation times， ahead of wondering why on earth "plantation shutters" were still a marketing feature。 An excellent read all around。 。。。more
Dominique
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I enjoyed the YouTube conversations that Emmanuel Acho has done， so I figured I'd give his book a go。 This wasn't for me， as in the advice was for mostly non-colored or non-Black people， so I can't say I learned anything new， yet it was interesting。I thought the tips he offered were pretty spot on and the stories were cool。 Quick read （I actually listened to the audio & followed along with the ebook）。 I do think it's one our son （currently 12） and I could have good conversations about， so I'm ad I enjoyed the YouTube conversations that Emmanuel Acho has done， so I figured I'd give his book a go。 This wasn't for me， as in the advice was for mostly non-colored or non-Black people， so I can't say I learned anything new， yet it was interesting。I thought the tips he offered were pretty spot on and the stories were cool。 Quick read （I actually listened to the audio & followed along with the ebook）。 I do think it's one our son （currently 12） and I could have good conversations about， so I'm adding it to his books to read for his homeschool required reading list for his upcoming 9th grade year。Good read。 。。。more
Jonathan Penn
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