ariana_0305 's review for:

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

4.0

informative slow-paced

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This was a very challenging read mainly because Fannon uses a lot of really big words. However, I personally also found it challenging because the foundation of the book is essentially the psychology of racism with a bit of philosophy. I'm not particularly familiar with either disciplines and upon reading the blurb, I anticipated it to be more sociological/political which is what I am comfortable with. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly fascinating and insightful read and I've learnt a lot of new things. I will admit that there were parts that I skimmed over purely because I didn't understand what was happening but I hope to return to this book one day and fill in the blanks. It was also different in other ways to- it wasn't just throwing information at the reader. It's also a meditation on what it means to be black in a white world and some of the writing, although difficult, was very poetic and lyrical. I found myself underlining a lot of lines that I did not feel a need to note down as they simply resonated with me, rather than teach me something new. They articulated a particular feeling in a beautiful way. Anyway, it's a great book and I hope to read 'Wretched of the Earth' sometime soon but maybe once I've built up my level first!