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So You Want to Talk About Race

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So You Want to Talk About Race

By: Ijeoma Oluo
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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About this listen

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in America

A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today’s racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races 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 crystallize 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.”

©2018 Ijeoma Oluo (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
African American Studies Americas Freedom & Security Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Specific Demographics United States Discrimination Social justice Equality Funny Civil Rights Biography

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Bahni Turpin's impassioned voice clearly conveys the gravity of this book on race and racism.... Key points are repeated to help listeners absorb ideas and definitions, and Turpin engagingly reads real-life examples Oluo uses to illustrate complex concepts such as intersectionality and white privilege." (AudioFile)

All stars
Most relevant
A great resource on how to discuss race and spot everyday racism. Thank you Ijeoma for putting your energy into writing this book.

A must read

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Puts racism in such simple and relatable terms. I will be recommending to friends and family

10/10 recommend

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Oluo writes a powerful story about race from a good heart and with a focus on actual change rather than warming sentiment.

As a white person I had to agree that I was raised in a ‘white supremacist’ culture and that I am still mired in the cultural conditioning of racism.

This isn’t a book that will give you any place to hide and pretend. I am grateful for that.

Being part of positive change is a commitment to progressive evolution of personal and cultural attitudes. You start by cutting the BS about your own role. A

An essential perspective

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At times the author appeared angry and harsh, at others what she was saying was hard to read. There were moments where the text seemed to imply that all white people are responsible for racism, it’s our job to figure out how to fix it without asking people of colour for advice (it’s not their job to educate us) and where we share Ijeoma’s perspective it’s lip service and not genuine. This felt overwhelming and I can see why so many stop listening at this point.

The more I listened the more I realised why people of colour feel the way they do and the systemic racism I’m not exposed to. I realised the ways I have unconsciously done and said the wrong thing. There are times when we need someone to point out we’ve done the wrong thing in order to change. This book does that in spades.

This is not an easy read but it is a necessary read for all of us. There are lessons galore if you’re willing to listen and learn. I would love to see this as a dialogue starter in school.

A necessary read

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To be honest there were times that I really struggled to read the book. It wasn’t until I read the final chapters that I became comfortable with the content.

I didn’t know I was uncomfortable having discussions about race. As a brown Polynesian woman I have to admit - sometimes it’s hard work & just easier to find ways to make people who I believe have acted in a racist way, feel okay.

I know people are racist, I know we live with systemically racist systems, I know people don’t want us to highlight it, talk about it, or express it - but because it makes people uncomfortable I tone it down. Not a shocking realisation, just a sad truth.

I found it hard to read the book because it felt like an angry read but by the end I started to understand - how it’s said, when it’s said & who is saying it doesn’t matter, just listen & genuinely try to understand.

I need a few days to process this book - but I do recommend it to others, you just need to be prepared ti feel disrupted.

A confronting & challenging read

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