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pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
“The essence of economic inequality is borne out in a simple fact: there are 400 billionaires in the United States and 45 million people living in poverty. These are not parallel facts; they are intersecting facts. There are 400 American billionaires because there are 45 million people living in poverty. Profit comes at the expense of the living wage. Corporate executives, university presidents, and capitalists in general are living the good life--because so many others are living a life of hardship.”
I had the privilege to hear Taylor speak at Randolph-Macon College about a month ago. I feel honored to have met and spoken with Dr. Taylor. She is an excellent writer and a very good speaker. I was so impressed with the way she talked with, not down to, the students who came to her talk. Taylor teaches at Princeton and there is a big difference between the students at R-MC and Princeton. She treated everyone as a valuable person. That included this old white woman.
I was halfway through this book when Taylor spoke. I had reached the chapter about the Obama administration and was wishing for better news. Taylor was willing to talk to me and to give me hope. This kind of interaction is why I am usually glad to meet authors. Taylor gave hope to all the attendees of her talk because she reminded us that change always comes from the streets – not from the politicians.
This book is excellent, and I am looking forward to reading more of Taylor’s works. This was part of my continuing education about the United States and all our horrible prejudices. It reinforced my viewpoint that we as a country need to be more equitable, more kind and more open to justice for all.
I had the privilege to hear Taylor speak at Randolph-Macon College about a month ago. I feel honored to have met and spoken with Dr. Taylor. She is an excellent writer and a very good speaker. I was so impressed with the way she talked with, not down to, the students who came to her talk. Taylor teaches at Princeton and there is a big difference between the students at R-MC and Princeton. She treated everyone as a valuable person. That included this old white woman.
I was halfway through this book when Taylor spoke. I had reached the chapter about the Obama administration and was wishing for better news. Taylor was willing to talk to me and to give me hope. This kind of interaction is why I am usually glad to meet authors. Taylor gave hope to all the attendees of her talk because she reminded us that change always comes from the streets – not from the politicians.
This book is excellent, and I am looking forward to reading more of Taylor’s works. This was part of my continuing education about the United States and all our horrible prejudices. It reinforced my viewpoint that we as a country need to be more equitable, more kind and more open to justice for all.
raulb's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so full of gems that I think I would not make justice by writing a review in depth. This book however is completely US centered which made it very difficult to really reason about in my experience.
Despite of that, I consider it a must read for anyone who is willing to widen their perspective about where racism is present. I learned a ton by reading this book, and I’m sure you would too.
Despite of that, I consider it a must read for anyone who is willing to widen their perspective about where racism is present. I learned a ton by reading this book, and I’m sure you would too.
persnickety_9's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a long book. It’s 230 pages. YET, it took me THREE WEEKS TO FINISH THIS BOOK. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read. I’ve read much of this information in other books, so this is a great introduction to BLM and social justice. I just could never find the...energy...to pick up this book. I just never wanted to read it. I found it so boring for some reason. Parts read like a term paper. I just couldn’t get into this book.
jpowerj's review against another edition
4.75
Honestly helped me so much, at a time when I felt like there was very little.... Analytical? Positivist-ish? stuff about black lives matter
nickjagged's review against another edition
2.0
It's ok, feels like a rehash of all that I've been reading recently with a bit less clarity ( though the sections on post-VRA black political history are definitely worth checking out). Doesn't take as much of a critical race theory view as I'd like, which really puts a damper on the content, since I'm not really wowed by the synthesis she ends up doing.
cebolla's review against another edition
4.0
First off, this book was written during the Obama administration, with a short update at the end that appears to have been written immediately after Trump was elected. I'd love to see an update that covers the recent BLM uprising.
That said, this book was much better than I thought it would be. It gives a detailed history of the Civil Rights movement, and it's successes and failures, and then compares them to the current (six years ago) Black Lives Matter movement. Taylor explains this in an academic voice, but one that's accessible to just about anyone. I feel like I have a much clearer understanding of many things now that I've read this.
The only section that rubbed me the wrong way was when Taylor, seemingly apropos of nothing, defends Marx from charges that he was racist. She doesn't do a very good job, and doesn't even mention his misogyny or rampant anti-Semitism.
That said, this book was much better than I thought it would be. It gives a detailed history of the Civil Rights movement, and it's successes and failures, and then compares them to the current (six years ago) Black Lives Matter movement. Taylor explains this in an academic voice, but one that's accessible to just about anyone. I feel like I have a much clearer understanding of many things now that I've read this.
The only section that rubbed me the wrong way was when Taylor, seemingly apropos of nothing, defends Marx from charges that he was racist. She doesn't do a very good job, and doesn't even mention his misogyny or rampant anti-Semitism.