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nuhafariha's review against another edition
4.0
I'm continually impressed by Chang's ability to weave between different aspects of social life such as art and politics and present precise causations I could have never figured out. As a Cornell alum, the parts about the Willard Straight Hall Takeover and the Latino Studies Program founding were particularly interesting and useful to see in the context of broader race relations at the time. The presentation of the book, with beautiful and provocative photos, lends it a more art history type feel, though this book is of course much much more.
kevinsmokler's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing look at how the cultural image of American went from white to one of many colors. A joy, a treat, an education. In all the best ways.
jdscott50's review against another edition
5.0
Our perceptions are often shaped by the media. From newspaper cartoons to art to television and the movies, we are inundated with the opinions and thoughts of a few. It's only those who choose to break the stereotypes and challenge the ideas of those few do those perceptions change. Jeff Chang seeks to document how society has changed in regard to race in the media. Morrie Turner's newspaper cartoon WeePals would break down racial stereotypes and mock those who would cling to them. Chang brilliantly documents the change in the media even down to a few small months here in there. It's in these small items that big ideas and social change come from.
hilaryreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
How can we reconcile the election of a Black president with increasing cultural divides?
This is the question Jeff Chang's WHO WE BE contemplates. Reading through this book is no small feat. Bold text is interspersed with reprinted works of art, comic strips, magazine covers, and photographs; detailed moments chronicle a thorough cultural history of race in America.
Culture is continuous, "the narrative we are immersed in every day," and how we see and perceive race is enmeshed in this narrative. Social realism, used by artists to critique systems of oppression and invisibility, was appropriated by capitalist realism to tame representation and draw communities of color into consumerism. The invention of multiculturalism, together with Third World Activism, provoked student-constructed Ethnic Studies programs and identity-driven art but faced backlash citing "colorblindness." White anxiety and repackaged racial codes emerged as the monster that is culture wars.
And yet, why were some calling these times "post-racial"?
Perhaps no part of this book sums up the paradox as well as this one: "While our images showed a mostly optimistic nation moving toward cultural desegregation and racial equality, our modes of living together reflected distancing and blindness, rancor and silence; our politics bespoke deep pessimism and a desire for disengagement; and our social indexes revealed increasing social resegregation and racial inequality."
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CW3bsJpvGbX/
This is the question Jeff Chang's WHO WE BE contemplates. Reading through this book is no small feat. Bold text is interspersed with reprinted works of art, comic strips, magazine covers, and photographs; detailed moments chronicle a thorough cultural history of race in America.
Culture is continuous, "the narrative we are immersed in every day," and how we see and perceive race is enmeshed in this narrative. Social realism, used by artists to critique systems of oppression and invisibility, was appropriated by capitalist realism to tame representation and draw communities of color into consumerism. The invention of multiculturalism, together with Third World Activism, provoked student-constructed Ethnic Studies programs and identity-driven art but faced backlash citing "colorblindness." White anxiety and repackaged racial codes emerged as the monster that is culture wars.
And yet, why were some calling these times "post-racial"?
Perhaps no part of this book sums up the paradox as well as this one: "While our images showed a mostly optimistic nation moving toward cultural desegregation and racial equality, our modes of living together reflected distancing and blindness, rancor and silence; our politics bespoke deep pessimism and a desire for disengagement; and our social indexes revealed increasing social resegregation and racial inequality."
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CW3bsJpvGbX/
perri's review against another edition
4.0
A dense, scholarly book but accessible to the layman; the author examines race relations in America from 1963 through today. The ambitious study of race through culture includes music, TV, politics, printed media and high profiled news with art photos and comic strips throughout the book. My impression is the author is reporting a a cornucopia history of events, and the reader is left to draw conclusions.
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