So You Want to Talk About Race
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- Create Date：2021-06-22 07:55:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ijeoma Oluo
- ISBN：1541647432
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Summary
In this breakout book， Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement--offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide
In So You Want to Talk About Race， Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary， accessible take on the racial landscape in America， addressing head-on such issues as privilege， police brutality， intersectionality， micro-aggressions， the Black Lives Matter movement， and the "N" word。 Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities， Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask， and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans。
Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward， funny， and effective in her coverage of sensitive， hyper-charged issues in America。 Her messages are passionate but finely tuned， and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity。 Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay， and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism， and a young Gloria Naylor， particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word。"
In So You Want to Talk About Race， Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary， accessible take on the racial landscape in America， addressing head-on such issues as privilege， police brutality， intersectionality， micro-aggressions， the Black Lives Matter movement， and the "N" word。 Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities， Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask， and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans。
Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward， funny， and effective in her coverage of sensitive， hyper-charged issues in America。 Her messages are passionate but finely tuned， and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity。 Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay， and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism， and a young Gloria Naylor， particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word。"
Reviews
Abby Knudsen
，
Very straightforward and informative。 Definitely would recommend。
Ruby
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Book discussion for Recovery Cafe Board
Alice
，
What an important topic that I think needs to be at the center of conversation at the high school at which I teach， as well as the nation overall。 The author addresses many of the hot button issues surrounding race in a frank yet relatable way。 She asks the reader to reflect and consider issues from multiple points of view while providing some clarity to experiences that seem inconsequential， yet have a great impact on people of color。 There have been other books that I have found to be more inf What an important topic that I think needs to be at the center of conversation at the high school at which I teach， as well as the nation overall。 The author addresses many of the hot button issues surrounding race in a frank yet relatable way。 She asks the reader to reflect and consider issues from multiple points of view while providing some clarity to experiences that seem inconsequential， yet have a great impact on people of color。 There have been other books that I have found to be more influential and rooted in history， but this book adds to the conversation of systemic racial oppression by asking the reader to engage in reflection of their own role in a society of white privilege。 。。。more
Holly Martindale
，
This book is excellent。 It will be a resource I come back to frequently。 I feel more empowered to critically examine my own behaviours and perceptions after reading this。 I also feel more empowered to take action in ways that will actually be helpful and I feel that I have more tools available to me to better understand where POC are coming from on some key issues。 Would recommend that everyone read this book！ But especially white folx。
Joyce Thomas
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If you are white， or you look white， and you are reading this， read this book。 Period。 No matter how many black/brown friends you may have， read this book。 Period。
Natalie
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We have to be able to look racism in the eye wherever we encounter it。 If we continue to treat racism like it is a giant monster that is chasing us， we will be forever running。 So You Want to Talk About Race is a call to action for all who read it， speaking about the broad race issues that America [in particular] faces on a day-to-day basis， and covering the historic racism and repression that has led to this point。 The book is very much meant as a starting point， to get the reader up-to-spe We have to be able to look racism in the eye wherever we encounter it。 If we continue to treat racism like it is a giant monster that is chasing us， we will be forever running。 So You Want to Talk About Race is a call to action for all who read it， speaking about the broad race issues that America [in particular] faces on a day-to-day basis， and covering the historic racism and repression that has led to this point。 The book is very much meant as a starting point， to get the reader up-to-speed on these issues and how they are affecting people of colour in the United States; and then explaining how everyone can do their part in reducing racism with the goal of elimination， or at the very least equality。Now， whilst I don't agree with everything Oluo spoke about in here - I think calling all white people racist is wrong for example; "white" isn't a race （the same way "black" or "coloured" isn't a race）， and America isn't the centre of civilisation， despite what some people may want to think。 Whilst I'm sure there are some "white" people whose ancestors have never experienced racism， to lump everyone together by the colour of their skin seems to defeat the purpose of what the author is trying to say here。 Still， there is a lot of information in here that I appreciated learning more about; affirmative action， micro aggressions， the school-to-prison pipeline， tone policing， checking your privilege， etc。 It's an easily accessible book that covers many topics on a surface level， leaving plenty of space for introspection and further reading so that you can better educate yourself on the subject before you go out and make a difference。 。。。more
emilia
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so important， i learned so much。 everyone needs to read this book
Queezle
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Really important read！ Highly recommend it。
Lindsay McBride
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I think this book is a must read for everyone。 I found her personal stories and insights compelling and I loved that she explained actual action items that you can take when combatting racism。 If you are just starting out on your social justice journey I would read this book first， if you’re already doing the work， definitely still read it。
Erika Boater
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A great beginners guide to conversations about identity and inclusion。
Rainbowgardener
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This is an excellent book on what Republicans are now calling critical race theory。 How valuable it is depends on how much reading/ studying you have already done on the topic。 I have read New Jim Crow， Stamped， How to be an Anti Racist， White Fragility and a bunch of articles and pamphlets and related fiction。 So not too much of this book was new to me。 If you haven't done all that reading， this would be a good place to start。 Even being not naive to the topic， I enjoyed this book and felt it h This is an excellent book on what Republicans are now calling critical race theory。 How valuable it is depends on how much reading/ studying you have already done on the topic。 I have read New Jim Crow， Stamped， How to be an Anti Racist， White Fragility and a bunch of articles and pamphlets and related fiction。 So not too much of this book was new to me。 If you haven't done all that reading， this would be a good place to start。 Even being not naive to the topic， I enjoyed this book and felt it had value。 One thing that sets this book apart is that she means the title about talking about race。 She is encouraging white people to have conversations （ mainly with each other！） on topics related to race and racism。 She is especially encouraging us to call out / name racism， implicit bias and micro aggressions when we see them。 And if a POC is trying to do that， support her， without taking over the conversation or making it about us。So she gives conversational examples， what we could say， counter arguments to what you might hear。 But it makes a useful framework for explaining a lot of issues。 Her language is clear and straight forward。 She uses examples from her own life experience， which makes it more vivid。 For example she talks about her experience with encounters with traffic police。 We have all heard about Driving While Black and "the talk。" We all unfortunately know way too many examples of POC who have been murdered by police after a traffic stop for "broken taillight" or DWB。 But the author is a half white woman， doing nothing wrong， doing nothing to attract attention。 And she is stopped over and over and over， to the point that it is routine （ but still always fraught and frightening， knowing how easily it could turn into another tragedy）。 It is still hard for us to understand how different Black lives still are in this country， even now， even lives of educated middle class Black people。 。。。more
Liesl
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“Talk。 Please talk and talk and talk some more。 But also act。 Act now， because people are dying now in this unjust system。 How many lives have been ground up by racial prejudice and hate？ How many opportunities have we lost？ Act and talk and learn and fuck up and learn some more and act again and do better” （Oluo， p。 230）。 I love this commission by Oluo， because it emphasizes the utmost importance of engaging with the problem of systemic racism， as uncomfortable and challenging as it can be。 As “Talk。 Please talk and talk and talk some more。 But also act。 Act now， because people are dying now in this unjust system。 How many lives have been ground up by racial prejudice and hate？ How many opportunities have we lost？ Act and talk and learn and fuck up and learn some more and act again and do better” （Oluo， p。 230）。 I love this commission by Oluo， because it emphasizes the utmost importance of engaging with the problem of systemic racism， as uncomfortable and challenging as it can be。 As a white person with privilege and blind spots， I will fuck up doing this at times， but I must do it nonetheless。 Addressing injustice is far more important than protecting my ego。 I also love that Oluo urges us to go beyond talk to action。 Plenty of liberal white people talk and talk and talk about the problem of racism and sit back satisfied with themselves for their awareness。 But we can’t just talk and congratulate ourselves on our social intelligence。 She challenges me， and all of us， to look actively for opportunities to ACT！ 。。。more
Thy Anonymous
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“We have to remember that racism was designed to support an economic and social system for those at the very top。 It was never motivated by hatred of people of color， and the goal was never in and of itself simply subjugation of people of color。 The ultimate goal of racism was the profit and comfort of the white race， specifically， of rich white men。 The oppression of people of colour was an easy way to get his wealth and power， and racism is a good way to justify it。 This is not about sentiment “We have to remember that racism was designed to support an economic and social system for those at the very top。 It was never motivated by hatred of people of color， and the goal was never in and of itself simply subjugation of people of color。 The ultimate goal of racism was the profit and comfort of the white race， specifically， of rich white men。 The oppression of people of colour was an easy way to get his wealth and power， and racism is a good way to justify it。 This is not about sentiment beyond the ways in which our sentiment is manipulated to maintain an unjust system of power。And our emotions， ignorance， fear and hate have been easily manipulated to feed the system of White Supremacy。 And we have to address all of this， our emotions， our ignorance， our fear， and our hate- but we cannot ignore the system that takes all of that， magnifies it， and uses it to crush the lives and liberty of people of colour to enrich the most privileged of white society。”- Excerpt from “What is racism？” chapter from “So you Want to Talk about Race” by Ijeoma OluoOnce this has sunk in， everything is not only easier to connect the dots but also more efficient at addressing the problem for what it is。 Thank you so much Ijeoma for your words， I feel your work contributed so much to my life and many others。 Highly recommend this read to everyone， because we are all living under the remains of the colonists regime， who this time around happened to be White Europeans。 。。。more
Andrea Hunter
，
This book was so incredibly eye opening for me。 It was beautifully written and honest in a way that was so incredibly powerful， I found myself having to take breaks because of the range of emotions that I was feeling at any given moment。 The experiences that Ijeoma has endured would leave anyone with a vast well of hate inside of them and yet instead， she chooses to educate by sharing these stories。 After listening to her words， I truly feel as if being Anti-Racist is not enough。 I must constant This book was so incredibly eye opening for me。 It was beautifully written and honest in a way that was so incredibly powerful， I found myself having to take breaks because of the range of emotions that I was feeling at any given moment。 The experiences that Ijeoma has endured would leave anyone with a vast well of hate inside of them and yet instead， she chooses to educate by sharing these stories。 After listening to her words， I truly feel as if being Anti-Racist is not enough。 I must constantly keep myself in check when it comes to Racist mindsets and stereotypes as well as the policing of the experiences of others or being dismissive of their personal experiences。 This book is such an important step in dismantling harmful agendas and Racist patterns of thinking。 Even if you don't believe that you are in support of or would condone any of the things that others have said to her， it is absolutely essential to listen to these conversations and to be aware that these types of disrespectful， demeaning and oppressive encounters are happening all the time。 After reading this book， I need to sit with my own education for a bit and challenge the narrative that I have been given when it comes to Black History and experience in this country。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who is either navigating their own Anti-Racist journey or is simply just willing to begin listening。 。。。more
Sherry
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Like having a conversation with a friend who gives it to you square。 I enjoyed the Q&A format of the chapters with each chapter having a guiding question。 For those who have read widely in the area of DEI （diversity， equity， and inclusion）， not much is new in this book， but Oluo has a way of making topics easily understandable with clear examples and frank language。 There is some profanity， but this book would still be appropriate to use with teens。
Marissa Viszolay
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I think everyone should read this book！
Alicia Soläng
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Framhäver genom både fakta och personliga upplevelser att rasism är ett strukturellt problem som drabbar icke-vita dagligen。 Viktig påminnelse om att man som vit aldrig kommer att kunna förstå hur det är att leva som en andra klassens medborgare， ständigt missgynnad och misstänkliggjord på grund av sin hudfärg。 Väldigt välskriven och lärorik bok， läs！！
Kelsey
，
The layout of this book as well as the writing style made this one read more like a conversation than a textbook which I enjoyed。 Her combination of lived experiences as well as teaching points in each chapter taught me a lot。 If you’re at the beginning of your journey of exploring race， this is a good starting point。 “Disadvantaged white people are not erased by discussions of disadvantages facing people of color， just as brain cancer is not erased by talking about breast cancer。 They are two d The layout of this book as well as the writing style made this one read more like a conversation than a textbook which I enjoyed。 Her combination of lived experiences as well as teaching points in each chapter taught me a lot。 If you’re at the beginning of your journey of exploring race， this is a good starting point。 “Disadvantaged white people are not erased by discussions of disadvantages facing people of color， just as brain cancer is not erased by talking about breast cancer。 They are two different issues with two different treatments， and they require two different conversations。”“We want to know that if we do ‘a’ we can expect ‘b’， and that those who never get ‘b’ have never done ‘a’。 The concept of privilege makes the world seem less safe。 We want to protect our vision of a world that is fair and kind and predictable。”“I have been exceptional， and I shouldn’t have to be exceptional to be just barely getting by。 But we live in a society where if you are a person of color， a disabled person， a single mother， or an LGBT person you have to be exceptional。” 。。。more
Brett
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So You Want to Talk About Race is an effective primer on race relations in America。 I think my enjoyment of this book was undercut by the other excellent literature on racism I've already read this year like Isaac J。 Bailey's Why Didn't We Riot？， Jesmyn Ward's The Fire This Time， and the "book of the moment" How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X。 Kendi。 I realize that this book came out in 2018 while Fire and Riot？ released later， but I feel that Race doesn't discuss current events to the same ex So You Want to Talk About Race is an effective primer on race relations in America。 I think my enjoyment of this book was undercut by the other excellent literature on racism I've already read this year like Isaac J。 Bailey's Why Didn't We Riot？， Jesmyn Ward's The Fire This Time， and the "book of the moment" How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X。 Kendi。 I realize that this book came out in 2018 while Fire and Riot？ released later， but I feel that Race doesn't discuss current events to the same extent。 Fire frequently discusses the Charleston Church mass shooting， Riot delves into the impact of Trump on race relations， and Antiracist gives a wide reaching account into America's history of racism。Meanwhile， Race largely discusses author Ijeoma Oluo's first-hand experience with racism。 And while that's incredibly valid and important for her to write about--it didn't come across as impactful to me as the other books I mentioned。 I want to say that if I had read this book in my last year of undergrad in 2018 that I would have been blown away， but even during that time I was pouring over my first read of Ta-Nehisi Coates' integral Between the World and Me。 Overall， Race was extremely readable and well-written， conveying Oluo's points within succinct chapters， but not quite providing the reading impact I had hoped for。 。。。more
Kristin
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Although there are some difficult truths in this book， I'm thankful to have had my eyes opened about racist speak or actions I may have made without being fully aware。 I definitely feel better equipped to engage with others within my race or across races should the opportunity or injustice arise。 This is a book worth keeping at close hand on the shelf as a reminder of how best to proceed with the least amount of injury and the best chance of resolution。 I look forward to discussion leading to ac Although there are some difficult truths in this book， I'm thankful to have had my eyes opened about racist speak or actions I may have made without being fully aware。 I definitely feel better equipped to engage with others within my race or across races should the opportunity or injustice arise。 This is a book worth keeping at close hand on the shelf as a reminder of how best to proceed with the least amount of injury and the best chance of resolution。 I look forward to discussion leading to action to begin to correct the systemic racism that currently exits。 。。。more
Annalisa Ely
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Very informative and covers lots of bases， explaining difficult topics throughly and accessibly。
Brook Walker
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Insightful and empowering。 It sheds a light of race but kost importantly let's us all know we can do better。 We all have room to chnage， improve， and help shift the racial divide。 It encourages us to not just talk about race but take action and work together to create a more understanding， thoughtful society， for all。 Insightful and empowering。 It sheds a light of race but kost importantly let's us all know we can do better。 We all have room to chnage， improve， and help shift the racial divide。 It encourages us to not just talk about race but take action and work together to create a more understanding， thoughtful society， for all。 。。。more
Mariana Pereira
，
I cannot believe how much information， insight， and perspective I gained from this book。 The unique take of this book is how one broaches the topic of racism and how one can bring it in conversation。 When I read each chapter title in the table of contents， I first thought “will this book be able to talk about each topic in depth without it feeling too disjointed？” But all doubt have been thrown out the window as the author expertly delves into each topic in a way that is approachable and informa I cannot believe how much information， insight， and perspective I gained from this book。 The unique take of this book is how one broaches the topic of racism and how one can bring it in conversation。 When I read each chapter title in the table of contents， I first thought “will this book be able to talk about each topic in depth without it feeling too disjointed？” But all doubt have been thrown out the window as the author expertly delves into each topic in a way that is approachable and informative for everyone—whether you are new to reading anti-racist books and may not know all the terms or if you’re already well-versed in the topic。 。。。more
Camille
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There was a lot to think about and dissect in this book！ I was pretty surprised how she said everyone who is white in America is racist because of being born in this society—it kind of takes a minute to sit with that uncomfortableness but understand the importance of recognizing that to help prompt change。 She does come on pretty strong but also talks about why she has to come on strong。 Definitely important to read and learn and understand then act。
Bonnie
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I listened to this book， found it moving and helpful。
Jana
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4。5
Marie Talley
，
I expected something different。 For example， more hardcore， direct， simple statement of suggestions with each chapter topic。 Eventually， the author provided something， but it became too late for me as I started losing interest。 More tips along the way and a summary at the end would have fit my learning style better。 Her tone threw me off some as it came across as condescending to me。 But everyone has different methods to tell their story and opinions， so I can appreciate that too。 I believe ther I expected something different。 For example， more hardcore， direct， simple statement of suggestions with each chapter topic。 Eventually， the author provided something， but it became too late for me as I started losing interest。 More tips along the way and a summary at the end would have fit my learning style better。 Her tone threw me off some as it came across as condescending to me。 But everyone has different methods to tell their story and opinions， so I can appreciate that too。 I believe there are many more （and better） books that provide more useful information on how to help reduce racism and educate。 Whether it be in your social circle， community or employment space。 Her experiences in life was not new information for me， so maybe it was because I didn't need to read that again。 I just wanted to get to how to help improve our communities right away and that didn't happen。 It was more of her experiences with racism and the problems。 I understand the solutions are not easy， but I was looking for more substance in this book。 。。。more
Chloe
，
The author's intention is clear: So you Want to Talk About Race is a handbook for people who wish to end systemic racism。 Through her own personal experiences as an activist， a professional， a queer black woman， a mom， she shows her pain but also deep aspirations for social justice by reframing the conversation to talk about race in a productive and meaningful way。 The book was incredibly powerful and a must-read to understand how to discuss race and racism in the U。S。 I was a bit disappointed b The author's intention is clear: So you Want to Talk About Race is a handbook for people who wish to end systemic racism。 Through her own personal experiences as an activist， a professional， a queer black woman， a mom， she shows her pain but also deep aspirations for social justice by reframing the conversation to talk about race in a productive and meaningful way。 The book was incredibly powerful and a must-read to understand how to discuss race and racism in the U。S。 I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the handbook failed to address different kinds of racial interaction， though the author did make note of it in the intro。Some powerful quotes:"No， the problem isn’t just that a white person may think black people are lazy and that hurts people’s feelings， it’s that the belief that black people are lazy reinforces and is reinforced by a general dialogue that believes the same， and uses that belief to justify not hiring black people for jobs， denying black people housing， and discriminating against black people in schools。" "What keeps a poor child in Appalachia poor is not what keeps a poor child in Chicago poor—even if from a distance， the outcomes look the same。 And what keeps an able-bodied black woman poor is not what keeps a disabled white man poor， even if the outcomes look the same。" 。。。more
Addicted2booksStefania
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If I could give this book 10 stars or more， I would。
Rachael
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