I think most people wouldn't think about the links between food and racism, but it is most definitely a thing.
In EATING WHILE BLACK we get an examination of the different aspects of the role white supremacy has played in the practice and culture of eating.

All our lives the media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy have helped shape opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat, and many of those opinions are influenced by racism. For instance, a savory french dish may be deemed eloquent and high class, while a savory soul food dish served will be viewed as unhealthy, indulgent and unsophisticated.

This book challenges us to examine the lens in which we view food, how we often shame people for their food choices, and to dive deeper into why we have those feelings.

***Thank you to Tantor Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Wow! This is a must read for anyone that is anti-racist and seeking out social justice nonfiction. There was so much of this I didn't know, and the things I did know I didn't know the history of . Very well written and is easily digestible.

Psyche A. Williams-Forson's Eating While Black is an essential resource tool for any student, researcher and/or layman of the Social Sciences who want to understand the racial, political and socio-economic impact of policing Black people's food. This is done through historical, empirical, and anecdotal research, and amplified by nice pop culture reference to illuminate many of the professor's key points. Although, the book is easy to digest, it stops short of providing readers definitive answers, to paraphrase Dr. Williams-Forson, she is much more interested in fostering dialogue than telling people how to think about such a complex issue. Finally, the narration by Malaika Cooper was fabulous, her cadence was excellent and her inflection always stressed important data, hence, this in my opinion makes this audiobook a really nice addition to any non-fiction collection.

Thanks so much to @netgalley for this E-ARC. This book was especially important for me as a 40-year-old white lady who is delving into food insecurity research, which is laden with cultural implications and stigma. “These issues and the conversations that surround them must be approached with respect for that complexity and with a sense of humility for what people are going through and what factors into their decisions. There should be no judgment!” This ethnographic description shares perspectives from many people in story form. Really wonderful, and certainly a book that I will take to heart.

Food is just food, and it’s not inherently political, right? Wrong! Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America taught me that all of our food choices and what is deemed a healthy lifestyle is rooted in racial politics.

I learned so much from Eating While Black, and it challenged my perspectives on a lot of things I previously believed around things like food deserts and ethical food consumption. But this book was more than just about the choices we make when it comes to food and how it is available to us; it is also about the sociopolitical contexts in which we are consuming foods: from restaurants/cafes to private parties and cookouts.

Never once in Eating While Black does the author place food or different diets in any hierarchy. Williams-Forson just poses inquiries that get readers thinking about where do the messages about what lifestyles are healthy (and how have they been co-opted from indigenous cultures and repackaged). Williams-Forson does this in a way that doesn’t shame people for their own choices, but affirms alternative choices.

Overall, I would recommend Eating While Black to everyone. It is an academic text that is accessible and informative in ways that connect to many aspects of all of our lives. This has been one of my favorite non-fiction reads this year.

I was kindly provided an audio of this book via NetGalley in order to give an honest review.

Eating While Black, like its title already suggests, talks about food culture, the importance of comfort foods, healthy eating (and how it isn’t always as easy as it sounds), prejudices and racism around the black community and food, and so much more.

It’s a book that makes you think, especially as a white person living in central Europe, and educates as well. There are so many aspects that I never would or could have considered.
I like the writing style, and the narration of the audiobook is really good too!

Eating while black was the book that was much needed but it is a shame that we do need a book like this. I was shocked when I began the book how much I identified with and how much I just passively ignored as things that "just happen to black people".

There are so many valuable nuggets throughout this book and it is certainly worth reading to correct narratives that have been rooted into our everyday lives.

Let's just start by saying I am not black so please go and look at reviews by black reviewers first.
Alright so I don't want shove myself into this subject as a white woman. I just want to say that I found all of these things fainting and honestly heart breaking in places. I think this is definitely something everyone should read especially those of us who are white and want to be an anti-racist. This book definitely taught me things I didn't know or I had a very vague idea of it.

4/5 stars. A super interesting listen about the politics and race around food. This is an informative and thought provoking book that centers race on a topic I’ve never really considered before, outside of the usual caricatures of Black food. Highly recommend.

A fascinating and far-reaching discussion on the ways food shapes our experiences. History and myth are either expanded or debunked to explain how food has been used to control or complement people's lives.

When I first came across, Eating While Black, I was intrigued by the title. Living in the United States I know from experience that race permeates every aspect of society. I was interested to learn more about the way food/food shaming affects BIPOC communities/peoples (specifically the Black community). This narration was very easy to listen to and kept me captivated throughout. I really appreciated that the author explained exactly what they were going to be talking about. They explained what lens/perspective they were using. They used current examples and examples from the past. They relayed the origin of eating while black and how that has changed throughout our history. This book made me aware of the ways I have perpetuated racist notions (specifically within my latine/x community). It called me out but I’m glad that it did because living in the United States no one escapes these racist structures and systems that surround us. I was able to relate what I was learning to my own community and how we are also food shamed and how we food shame others. This book is a conversation starter. It is planting the seed to admit that the way we view/police food needs to change. I think this is a book everyone should read. There were some times where I felt that the author repeated themselves often. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose but that sometimes confused me a little bit but also it made that specific point stick. Again, this book was very eye opening and it has made me view food in a whole new way.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and University of North Carolina Press / RB Media for early access to the audiobook of Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America by Psyche A. Williams-Forsen in exchange for an honest review.

CW: body shaming, food shaming, diet culture, racism, racial slurs, disordered eating

In a racism-saturated society, nothing and no one is untouched by our history of racial oppression. This includes how we think about food. Food policing, akin to tone policing, means that many black people feel restricted in what foods they can eat, where, and with whom in order to maintain their dignity. This book explores food's role in survival, homemaking, and belonging for Black Americans and challenges all people, regardless of race to "worry about yourself" when it comes to other peoples' food decisions.

I have always been a huge proponent of the idea that food is connection and represents so much more than just the sustenance we need to survive. Food is life, culture, community, creativity, fun. Food is also political, just as bodies are political. As such, food is yet another means by which people have been oppressed. This book is a fantastic analysis of the intersectionality of systemic racism, food apartheid, diet culture, white supremacy and body shaming. This is not a book that you should jump straight into if you have not done any preliminary work in deconstructing your own personal biases and recognizing your own role in systemic oppression. However, if you have done that initial work and you are ready to unPACK, UNpack, UNPACK, then this is an excellent resource.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

Listened to the audiobook.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

I feel actively bad for this being a DNF. I am interested in the topic, as it seems like a very practical, visual way to address issues of racial inequity in America. Unfortunately, you can tell that the author has had to justify her research a *lot* over the years. The first 10% of the book is genuinely a discussion of "in this essay I will...." where she repeatedly campaigns for why the topic merits study and understanding. But if you are picking this up, you already know that. It feels like a wasted chance to make a strong statement that instead is laying the groundwork for the next person to make that statement.

I'll admit that this was an aspect of both diet shaming and systemic racism that I hadn't spent much time thinking about, but what is considered "healthy" is an important topic that has huge ramifications for how healthy, sustainable, and practical a diet actually ends up being and for how people interact with food in and out of their cultural background.

This book covers a lot of ground on the topic, from history of cultural-based food shaming in America to reasons why some attempts to help food deserts don't actually help the community. I learned a lot, and this challenged a lot of my own ideas about what healthy food actually means.

One of my biggest takeaways is that society should meet people where they're at and take cultural context into consideration when it comes to nutrition. There are many ways to be healthy, and eating healthily (and more importantly being healthy) can be possible while eating a variety of foods, and more people are actually likely to stick with a healthy and nutritious diet if they're eating foods they like and are familiar with.

Definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more on the topic! I'm going to be looking out for additional resources on this because I found it equally fascinating and important.

Non-fiction isn't my first choice when it comes to reading for pleasure but the title of the book intrigued me. I figured I would learn something new about me and American society.

I struggled at first listening to this book, but I eventually was able to put myself in the mindset of college days and post when I worked in a research lab. This was structured like research papers I had read and worked on.

I felt like the last half was more informative and relatable for me. I did want a clear historical answer on why Black people eat certain foods (e.g. salt meats, hamhocks, chitlins) and why the answers we've been given in the past are inaccurate. I eventually realized that it wasn't stated in "black & white" because it is more complex and not a simple answer.

Next time someone ask or tell me something ignorant, I will be telling them to worry about themselves lol

We can't give half stars, but this is a 3.5 for me.

I received this audiobook ARC from Netgalley & the publisher. This is my honest opinions of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is incredibly important in addressing the complexity surrounding the issues of food in the Black community by discussing general stereotypes about what Black people eat and don’t eat, misconceptions about the Black community in general regarding symbolic and traditional cuisines, and the politics of food distribution. People may be upset that everything is becoming “political,” but that is truly the state of our society and Williams-Forson demonstrated this by discussing redlining, food deserts, and inequitable agricultural policies. We need to embrace these issues and learn from them so that we can enact change. The author shows that racism is engrained in all of our society, including food — food is not a black and white issue, it is truly complex and the ultimate display of power. I think everyone needs to read this in order to address these issues that have always been a part of our society. This was a delightful mix of personal stories and scholarly research, which I believe enriched this book and made it more personal.

The narrator, L. Malaika Cooper was lovely. Her voice was clear and steady, and her narration kept me hooked.

Eating While Black is an eye opening look at just how far racism, the hierarchy of power, and shaming reaches. From the food itself to the preparation and hie food is talk about has a variety or meanings and perceptions involved. I enjoy reading this and learned a lot.

Some parts seems to get repetitive, but overall this was a great read.

Thank you to netgalley and RB media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.