In Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, Ijeoma Oluo explores how our country has been shaped by "one of the most evil and insidious social constructs in Western history: white male supremacy."

If you haven't read this yet, get it on your tbr! This is one of those books that everyone just really needs to read. Oluo goes into the what, how, and why of white supremacy, with well-researched chapters on the white men who have shaped the systems and kept them "working as designed." She dives deep into the lives of men from Buffalo Bill to Joe Biden and so many in between.

Some of the chapters in this book didn't surprise me, but others did. The chapter on Bernie Sanders was very eye-opening and made me realize just how much I viewed his campaign and rise in popularity from a very privileged place.

Her chapter on higher education and how it has changed was also especially enlightening. I had no idea just how hard universities worked to keep out minorities throughout the 1900s, often with the government working side by side to make education inaccessible to those who needed it most.

This book takes a close look at all the systems in place to help raise up the white male. Oluo looks at each area from an intersectional point of view, noting the ways various systems were/are meant to keep out Blacks and other POC, or women, or both. Oluo writes very knowledgeably about how white male mediocrity harms us all (white men included).

In her final chapter, Oluo poses questions like these: "What can women and people of color accomplish in a world that doesn't see us as fundamentally lacking?" and "What can we accomplish in a world that sees difference as an opportunity instead of a threat?" She may not have all the answers, but her suggestions, encouragement, and hope jump off the pages throughout the entire book.

This quote is one that sticks with me: "We must start making better and more informed choices - with our votes, our wallets, our media, our societal expectations."

A huge thanks to writers like Oluo who spend months and months doing research to back up what should be common-sense ideas. Thank you for doing the research and arming readers like me with facts to fall back on to prove a point when my own words fail me.

Mediocre written and spoken by Ijeoma Oluo in the audiobook and it is a must read because of the compelling truths of many parts of our society. Oluo addresses racism in all walks of life, and analyses the problems in a way that makes you want to listen and learn more. Especially with the author narrating, I felt that it was very well spoken, almost as if we were in conversation with one another. This is a very interesting and important read and I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants to read nonfiction!

Ijeoma is amazing. That's that. She truly is one of my favorite writers, she teaches me so much and I just adore her. She's empathetic when she doesn't have to be; she teaches without patronizing. I think all people should read her because of how delicately she handles heavier subjects and topics in a way that doesn't place blame so much as it educates on past ignorance. Phenomenal!