Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise

2 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Important information for me, as a white accomplice in the fight against racism, oppression, and inequity. 
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laurenleigh's review

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

First off, this should not be the first or only anti-racist book you read. Read authors of color foremost, please. Then go read this book! Wise tells his life story here, all while highlighting the white privilege he’s received at every turn. It’s an important reminder that even lower income white people, who may consider themselves anything but privileged, still get a significant advantage just by their whiteness. I appreciate some of the specific moments Wise has pointed out which alone, may not seem like an example of white privilege, but still are when you take a closer look. I’m most struck by his exploration of how genealogy is a white privilege. The slave trade viciously made this impossible for so many Black people. There is power in knowing where and who you came from. To be able to create a family tree is a gift. Wise also gave me a lot to think about in terms of how European immigrants often needed to shed their unique heritage to be less of an “other,” AKA more white. To succeed in America meant abandoning languages, customs, and dress that tied you to your home country. To be clear, this hardship is absolutely nothing to be compared with the horror of slavery. It’s just another aspect of racism and white privilege that I never considered before.
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