Recommended. I'm a white person, and I found this was a good book to read - useful information to me, in my quest to be an ally.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. There was a lot of light shed on racism in the UK that I didn't know about. The topics and accounts Eddo-Lodge shared were eye-opening. This book was so well-written for the reader to soak in everything. I hope people read this book to become more aware of racism around the world.

This is one of those books that should be put in the hands of everyone. It's hard to overstate the importance of it, the relevance of it, or the achievement it marks. Simply put, a compelling and moving combination of history and personal essay that explores issues of race and identity in Britain today that has reach beyond British borders. A must-read.

When I saw the title of Reni Eddo-Lodge's latest work, I couldn't pass it by. Seriously! How much more poignant, jarring, could a title be without using any profanity? The title Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race couldn't be more intriguing for someone like me who no longer comments on threads with any hint of racial bias. I made the mistake of commenting on one of my Goodreads friends review of a book about the war on police, and next thing I know some white dude insinuated that I was ignorant or in a position to ignore all the government has done for low-income neighborhoods.

A peaceful discussion turned vile for no apparent reason except that homeboy (the white dude) figured I was defending the communities marginalized by the status quo. What I was defending is the fact BLM is not a terrorist group. Sure there are some who claim to be in the group that have taken things too far, but do we paint all supporters of that movement with the same extremist brush? I think not.

With that being said, Reni Eddo-Lodge doesn't paint every white person with the same brush. She makes it very clear early on that she no longer engages in discussions about race with white people who refuse to accept that structural racism is still a thing. Structural racism is very much so an impenetrable force that deems some others. She acknowledges that the concept might be hard to grasp because it's not something that can be touched, coveted, or harnessed. It's just a reality that those who are "others" see as one more obstacle they must overcome.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race focuses primarily on the structural racism that inhabits Britain. It might be a crappy thing to say but it was actually relieving to read about the struggle for blacks outside of the United States. Not that I'd wish the struggle on other people of color, but the fact that it's not just us, black Americans, that feel the weight of structural racism sort of makes me wanna scream "finally someone gets it!"

Boy, does Reni Eddo-Lodge get it.

Eddo-Lodge goes into a few topics in great detail in a way that would make most say oh, I get it now. She breaks down White Privilege and what it really means, how feminists prefer to keep racism a separate issue, race and class, as well as how there can never be peace without justice.

Reni Eddo-Lodge begins this title by diving into the history of racism and how it's impact still impacts black British today. What surprised me most is that Great Britain is a helluva lot less progressive than I presumed. She infers that it may be due to the fact that slave masters could hire others to interact with the slaves that garnered established their wealth whereas in the Americas, owners interacted with their investments daily. The impact of living among those who you once owned wasn't necessary until people of color began to immigrate into the UK. The same immigrants called upon to fight their wars had no place in their all-white world.

I remember my grandfather talking about how he was enlisted in the British army before he moved to the states. He never indulged further. He would only say that he needed to get to America although Britain was/is considered the motherland for most Jamaicans.

Anyway...

I won't go into detail on how impacting Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race
Before I go off on any further tangents, I'll end this review here by saying... no... asking you to read this book. Please! It's worth it.

Copy provided by Bloomsbury Publishing via Netgalley

I am not familiar with much of the British political things this book refers to. I think this book is probably more relevant for people who live in the UK. I am not posting a review online because I gave up on the book because I could not really follow or relate to it. Thank you and good luck with it.

Timely and important to read, this is a powerful and insightful book and a talented voice.

Eddo-Lodge offers a well-written history and commentary of race (and class and gender roles) in the UK. As an American reader, I found the historical and cultural aspects (esp. about class) very eye-opening. I think it is especially important to consider this work and information in contrast with American race relations and our ongoing civil rights movement. I was moved by many of Eddo-Lodge's arguments and learned a lot about how I can be a better activist for anti-racism, especially as a white person. I would highly recommend this to any reader, regardless of where they live. The ideas are easily accessible and important across all national borders.

The link to the review will be added upon completing and polishing the review.

In recent years I have been interested in reading about race relations in the United States. I had never thought about researching what has been going on in the UK. I am thankful that NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parallels to what is going on in this side of the proverbial pond. However, this is why books like this one are needed, to continue opening our eyes to the injustices we may inadvertently take part in.

Review on race in Britain. The percentage of black people is lower there and their history with slavery was different-- mostly slavery happened away from Britain itself. So thare are some fundamental differences here.

I got this book as part of my desire to become better about race in every way. The cover is what drove me in. The white text, really hid the words and the gap was noticeable enough that I had to click on it to really see what was going on. Have to applaud that cover choice. It was just perfect in my mind.

I am going to be frank, I knew nothing about race when it came to England. All of my race knowledge is focused in the US, Australia, and Canada. I didn't know anything about Eddo-Lodge before reading this. I didn't know about the blog post or even who she was. She is now firmly on my favorite activist shelves with bell hooks, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Audre Lord. If you have not read them yet, please add them to your pile immediately. If you have read them, then this book is an amazing next step.

The book is not written for white comfort, instead the author actively says that this book is because of the rage she feels because of white people. How badass is that? The book called out white people repeatedly and talked about feelings and facts that are so often buried because of white people. (I have also noticed that reviews that rate this book badly are generally from someone who has a white person as their profile picture, coincidence?) While I was also called out because I am a white person, I am thankful for it. Eddo-Lodge makes points that even if I fought back, would not be any less honest or correct. She has made it very easy for anyone to follow her anger and has written in a way that is approachable even for those who aren't in academia or well versed in race. 

The book brings up everything from institutionalized and structural racism to accidental, well meaning racism of white parents with biracial children. I am in heaven with this book, more people need to read it. Especially the people I have argued with, repeatedly, about how white people are the only ones who can be racist because of their ability to actually do long term damage to someone. Anyone can be prejudice, but only white people have the systematic and structural backing to be racist. The author makes this easy to understand and provides example after example of this. Yet this is the biggest complaint that others have had about the book. They can't see that major point and instead go defensive of their own whiteness and their own racism. 

As the author has said, she is not looking for white people to apologize. Instead she is looking for them to be actively anti-racist in their lives. This book is a call to action to actually think about what is happening and actively oppose what is wrong. It is not a call to be defensive, it is not a call to pretend nothing is happening, it is not a call for white people to continue their belief that they have no race. I could go on for days about this book. Please read it. Please internalize it.

Fantastic essay collection on race and racism in Britain. It's comprehensive and is a great read for those new to conversations about racism and those that have been fighting against white supremacy for a while. It was also eye-opening as an American who knew little about the history of discrimination against BMEs in Britain. Would definitely recommend.

https://bookriot.com/2017/11/01/november-new-releases/

This has been on my radar for a while since the UK version was released and got lots of love on BookTube. It was….fine. It’s informative and discusses race and its impact in many areas – historically, systemically, within feminism, class, justice system, etc. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything *new* here that I haven’t read in many other books. Granted, I probably read a little more on race and feminism than the average reader, so my scale is a little skewed. As an American, I know very little specifics about British history. Of course, we all know about colonization and the slave trade as whole picture, but this is the first text that I remember reading that focused specifically on the UK aspect of both. It’s an accessible read, not overly academic feeling.





I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my opinion, rating, or review.

I'm not sure I've highlighted more phrases in any book in my life, including my textbooks. Eddo-Lodge's way of explaining and defining terms was so helpful to give me the language that I've needed for a long time. Unlearning color blindness was a difficult task and one that's been challenging to explain the importance of to others in my life. Reading this book helped immensely and I'm looking forward to shoving this book into people's lives at Christmas.

This book blew me away. I found myself highlighting and bookmarking full sections of this book. As an American, I read predominantly books about the experience of black Americans and American POC. It was refreshing – yet alarmingly similar – to read about Britain's own complicated and horrific history of oppression, racism, and slavery. It's a story not frequently heard here in the U.S., but it's time we start listening to POC from other nations and experiences.

Eddo-Lodge's voice is a critical one. Her essays on white privilege and intersectional feminism are outstanding, and her expository analysis of black British history really reminded me of how much we still have yet to learn and understand.

If you're looking for an accompaniment to readings of race in America, this is the volume to pick up. Most Americans don't know of Eddo-Lodge yet, but I hope they will.

I can very well understand the frustration and weariness of trying to carry on a conversation and feeling that you're just not being seen or heard. I grew up in the 70's, mostly in London, as the offspring of 2 Irish academics. I've been told I look like a 'poster child for Irish tourism' and it wasn't meant in a nice way. But, that being said, white on white racism isn't her experience and obviously I have no real method (or desire) to compare my experience to hers and say 'I get it'.

People are complex and race issues are unique to, and tied inextricably with, the places and people involved. British racism is quite distinct from American racism and neither are the same as the racism intrinsic to eastern Asia, Australia, Africa, or Northern Europe. She somewhat narrows her focus to specifically talk about her experience as a person of color growing up and living in England. Even so, it's wide ranging and well researched and makes some valid points.

This was an exhausting book for me to read although Ms. Eddo-Lodge has a clear and very readable voice, the subject matter was so draining for me that it took me several tries to manage to finish it and I'm still in the digesting stage, going back to read chapters and try to understand. She spends a fair bit of effort explaining in the book why there's a fundamental disconnect between even well meaning white people and people of color and why white people just don't understand.

As a biotech professional, I just wish we'd get on with using our human resources and richness and diversity to solve our bloody problems and not just create new ones. Without denigrating or denying that many people are generally a waste of protoplasm and white privilege is really awful, I really do feel like I don't engage differently with my colleagues based on where they're from or what they look like. I don't think my colleagues are promoted or held back based on their ethnicity or the melanin content of their skin (I currently live, work, and study in Northern Europe).

This is sort of like those really long arguments which you had with a partner you really cared for back in college, but you were just really really weary of fighting and wanted to stop arguing. I get very sad that we seemingly can't move beyond this stage. For me personally, this book was read with a backdrop of black lives matter, NFL athlete protests, utterly tone-deaf divisive sound bites from the media talking heads (and government), and neonazi marches and violence.

Difficult reading. It made me very tired and sad.
Four stars (likely would've been 5 if I wasn't a basically 'color blind' bionerd labrat).

An excellent and important book. While much of the book is about topics that should be familiar to anyone with even a little background knowledge of social justice, the book is focused on issues in Britain, and that is something that may be less familiar to readers, especially American readers like myself. It is a race-focused intersectional work that covers the history and background of injustice in Britain and the insidious, structural ways that the system (and white supremacy) work to keep that injustice alive. One thing the book does tackle that is common in published books is the ways that the language of social justice are now being used against those who are fighting for an anti-racist future.

Highly recommended, an excellent, worthwhile read.

Excellent, necessary, relevant book. Extremely educational and eye-opening.