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angiew23's review
this book is very well written and thoroughly explores all of the issues and ideas shared. Whether you are interested in the history of racism in America, specific examples of discrimination throughout history, or want to explore ideas such as race in fiction writing, this book covers a lot and does it all really well. The subject is heavy (as expected) and there is a tremendous amount of background information, academic concepts and connections between history, philosophy, sociology, literature and politics, to name a few. It is not a quick and easy read, but no anti-racist writing should be. If you want to do the work, this book is just a stepping stone, but it is a good place to start, and I would definitely recommend it.
Perhaps because this book is written as a series of essays, or because the continuum of anti-racism is a complicated and lengthy journey of self-awareness and conscious changes to the way a white person acts and communicates, my reflections on this book are very scattered. I apologize in advance for not writing something very succinct or clear....
Mura discusses this idea of Black memory and white memory, explaining that while the two are intertwined and mutually exclusive, they still compete and differ, because white memory does not make sense without denying the interconnected history. Mura did an excellent job of giving Black history the spotlight while also bringing in the similarities of racism towards Indigenous people throughout the book, but one section that really stood out to me, was when he discussed worldview and "Settler memory" because if we ignore the fact that Indigenous people still exist, we can pretend the atrocities of our history are no longer relevant. It is books like this one that remind readers that the problems of our past (and the lasting impact on our present and future) don't go away if we pretend they didn't happen, in fact it is essential that we learn about the past in order to work towards reconciliation.
I found the sections on Jefferson quite interesting. I remember watching some documentary at some point, I'm not sure if it was for a university class or like a 20/20 primetime type special (I used to watch those religiously every Friday night), but there were two Jefferson descendants who denied each other's existence. One appeared to be caucasian but identified as Black and the other appeared to be Black but identified as white. My white, 20 ish year old mind had a hard time wrapping itself around these ideas and I was brought back to them through reading this book. Mura explains that there were slaves owned by Jefferson that were his own children he conceived with slaves (one of whom was only 1/4 Black, so the children were only 1/8 Black). My still white, 30ish year old brain can now somewhat wrap itself around this idea but still not entirely, thus is the slow progression along the racism to anti-racism continuum.
Mura also explored other presidents and the connection they had to racism and societal change. I still can't fully grasp how Trump was able to be elected, especially right after Obama... but Mura (2023) explained that this was likely in part because the election of Obama "... prompted a resurgence of white grievance and a series of actions and policies ... designed to thwart the growing demographic power of people of color and to more firmly establish a threatened white dominance by whatever means could be devised" (p. 150). All progress Obama made was met by racial regression, as is often the case when we go from one extreme to another in government. Mura also shared information on Lincoln and how he is seen by many as a huge positive marker in the emancipation of slaves, yet he was still quoted as being racist. Reminding us that just because someone goes against the current and makes change, they are still a product of their time period.
Finally, I found the section on white vs Black fiction authors really thought-provoking. Mura explained the difference in how characters are written or described and the assumptions made by readers based on these descriptions, with numerous, fully formed examples. This is just another example of the subconscious thoughts white privilege carries, and the importance of consciously unpacking one's own implicit and explicit biases.
As I have said above, this post reflects my own journey towards becoming an anti-racist, which is always evolving and progressing. It is messy but so important. I hope that Black History Month can be an opportunity for you to also grow!
Thanks to Angelle at Books Forward for giving me the chance to read and review this book, as well as participate in this book tour!
Perhaps because this book is written as a series of essays, or because the continuum of anti-racism is a complicated and lengthy journey of self-awareness and conscious changes to the way a white person acts and communicates, my reflections on this book are very scattered. I apologize in advance for not writing something very succinct or clear....
Mura discusses this idea of Black memory and white memory, explaining that while the two are intertwined and mutually exclusive, they still compete and differ, because white memory does not make sense without denying the interconnected history. Mura did an excellent job of giving Black history the spotlight while also bringing in the similarities of racism towards Indigenous people throughout the book, but one section that really stood out to me, was when he discussed worldview and "Settler memory" because if we ignore the fact that Indigenous people still exist, we can pretend the atrocities of our history are no longer relevant. It is books like this one that remind readers that the problems of our past (and the lasting impact on our present and future) don't go away if we pretend they didn't happen, in fact it is essential that we learn about the past in order to work towards reconciliation.
I found the sections on Jefferson quite interesting. I remember watching some documentary at some point, I'm not sure if it was for a university class or like a 20/20 primetime type special (I used to watch those religiously every Friday night), but there were two Jefferson descendants who denied each other's existence. One appeared to be caucasian but identified as Black and the other appeared to be Black but identified as white. My white, 20 ish year old mind had a hard time wrapping itself around these ideas and I was brought back to them through reading this book. Mura explains that there were slaves owned by Jefferson that were his own children he conceived with slaves (one of whom was only 1/4 Black, so the children were only 1/8 Black). My still white, 30ish year old brain can now somewhat wrap itself around this idea but still not entirely, thus is the slow progression along the racism to anti-racism continuum.
Mura also explored other presidents and the connection they had to racism and societal change. I still can't fully grasp how Trump was able to be elected, especially right after Obama... but Mura (2023) explained that this was likely in part because the election of Obama "... prompted a resurgence of white grievance and a series of actions and policies ... designed to thwart the growing demographic power of people of color and to more firmly establish a threatened white dominance by whatever means could be devised" (p. 150). All progress Obama made was met by racial regression, as is often the case when we go from one extreme to another in government. Mura also shared information on Lincoln and how he is seen by many as a huge positive marker in the emancipation of slaves, yet he was still quoted as being racist. Reminding us that just because someone goes against the current and makes change, they are still a product of their time period.
Finally, I found the section on white vs Black fiction authors really thought-provoking. Mura explained the difference in how characters are written or described and the assumptions made by readers based on these descriptions, with numerous, fully formed examples. This is just another example of the subconscious thoughts white privilege carries, and the importance of consciously unpacking one's own implicit and explicit biases.
As I have said above, this post reflects my own journey towards becoming an anti-racist, which is always evolving and progressing. It is messy but so important. I hope that Black History Month can be an opportunity for you to also grow!
Thanks to Angelle at Books Forward for giving me the chance to read and review this book, as well as participate in this book tour!
emilyisoverbooked's review
4.0
Thanks to Books Forward PR and University of Minnesota Press for the copy of this book.
The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself is an incredible learning tool, broken off into three sections: the present moment, how we narrate the past, and where do we go from here?. I found myself underlining SO many passages in this book. The way that David writes is so easy to understand and I absolutely flew through this text, which is sometimes difficult with nonfiction. The Brief Guide to Structural Racism in the Appendix is pure gold. But what I appreciated the most that really sets this book apart is David’s focus not just on history, present-day events, and facts, but on what can be done for the future and where we go next. Practicality is often missing from nonfiction texts and I’m often thinking “okay, now what?!”, so I loved being able to have some actionable items when I finished this read.
The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself is an incredible learning tool, broken off into three sections: the present moment, how we narrate the past, and where do we go from here?. I found myself underlining SO many passages in this book. The way that David writes is so easy to understand and I absolutely flew through this text, which is sometimes difficult with nonfiction. The Brief Guide to Structural Racism in the Appendix is pure gold. But what I appreciated the most that really sets this book apart is David’s focus not just on history, present-day events, and facts, but on what can be done for the future and where we go next. Practicality is often missing from nonfiction texts and I’m often thinking “okay, now what?!”, so I loved being able to have some actionable items when I finished this read.
timhering's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself – Racial Myths and Our American Narratives, by David Mura, is a collection of essays aimed at showing how white America is brought up to believe a set of ideals about itself that allows systemic racism to continue and proliferate, even among those whites who consider themselves as liberal thinkers.
Muir’s essays are often a bit dry, but that can be forgiven as much academic writing cannot hope to be riveting material. His essays cover contemporary news stories such as the police killings of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright, to slavery, the founding fathers, and Abraham Lincoln. Muir also compares the differences in how blacks and whites tell stories.
In the section titled “Racial Absence and Racial Presence in Jonathan Franzen and ZZ Packer,” I felt Muir strays from a factual analysis of his subject and loses objectivity, albeit briefly. However, I felt that the subject of this particular essay, Franzen, wrote something that Muir did not find believable but was not precisely on the topic of whiteness in literature.
Regardless, I feel this is a must-read for anyone who wants to see positive change from the current divisive rhetoric in today’s political and social arena.
Muir’s essays are often a bit dry, but that can be forgiven as much academic writing cannot hope to be riveting material. His essays cover contemporary news stories such as the police killings of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright, to slavery, the founding fathers, and Abraham Lincoln. Muir also compares the differences in how blacks and whites tell stories.
In the section titled “Racial Absence and Racial Presence in Jonathan Franzen and ZZ Packer,” I felt Muir strays from a factual analysis of his subject and loses objectivity, albeit briefly. However, I felt that the subject of this particular essay, Franzen, wrote something that Muir did not find believable but was not precisely on the topic of whiteness in literature.
Regardless, I feel this is a must-read for anyone who wants to see positive change from the current divisive rhetoric in today’s political and social arena.
rissreviews_xx's review
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
David Mura’s essays are both relevant and important, but readers are able to read this book because of the way he has written it. I think the topics that are written in this book are well done and provide a positive perspective on how to continue.
The last section of this book wraps up the topics in a way that makes sense and gives readers a way to understand. I definitely recommend this book to readers!
The last section of this book wraps up the topics in a way that makes sense and gives readers a way to understand. I definitely recommend this book to readers!
shereadytoread's review
informative
reflective
4.0
This book is an interesting introduction piece to narratives of history and how they were defined. I think this is a good starting point to further explore concepts presents and the book includes a bibliography of a good number of more in depth pieces of the topics discussed.
One of my favorite parts of this book is that it veers into literal stories and addresses written media and films, which is about the last 20% of the book. While I didn't agree with all the author's statements, overall I think this is well-written, well-researched and definitely worth the read.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher.
One of my favorite parts of this book is that it veers into literal stories and addresses written media and films, which is about the last 20% of the book. While I didn't agree with all the author's statements, overall I think this is well-written, well-researched and definitely worth the read.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher.
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