This book is brilliant. That’s the first thing you need to know. It has been widely talked about and acclaimed since its publication in 2017, and for good reason. Eddo-Lodge is one of the smartest and most eloquent writers I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year (in the last few years, at that), and she writes with little concern for how what she has to say will fall on those reading it. Much as the title suggests, she’s done mincing words, apologizing for taking up space and beating around the bush. She’s got some important viewpoints to share, and share she does.
Eddo-Lodge is British, and therefore this book deals with the complex history of British involvement in enslaving Africans, both at home and abroad, and how that history has been suppressed and unacknowledged. She talks about her education and how Black history was left out of it, how long it took her to begin to gather information on how Black people came to be in Britain in the first place. Her discussion of this states the obvious: this refuses to acknowledge and discuss a history that is still playing out in similar patterns for the oppressed.
I have only read one other book about race based in the UK (Natives by Akala, which is excellent and one I highly recommend), so it was really helpful to be given some insight into not only what the racial landscape looks like there today, but the history that made it. However, the issues she discusses in this book are by no means exclusively British ones. I have seen similar conversations in relation to Black experiences in many parts of the world. The points she makes apply equally in any context.
I was particularly impressed by her discussion of feminism, and how important it is to not only be aware of the need for intersectionality, but also to allow for women from different backgrounds to meet separately with others who share their context to discuss what is important to them without having to qualify, edit or censor what they need to say. As someone who studied Women’s Studies extensively, I found this to be a very important area for her criticism and recommendations.
I loved how frank and open Eddo-Lodge was, how willing she was to call out inequity and racism anywhere she saw it, and to hold everyone accountable for changing it. I loved that she made this issue one that she is deeply connected to, but not responsible for. She makes it clear that, as the title suggests, she’s not going to take on trying to make unwilling listeners change their views. She will, however, put a lot of time and energy into productive discussion and action. This is an important distinction, and one I have a lot of respect for. We each need to step up, begin looking for opportunities to learn, understand and advocate, and we all must do what we can to make sure we are pulling our weight. And that weight has rested heavily on the victims of oppression for too long. It belongs on those who perpetrate and benefit from it. People like me.
This book was an excellent and evocative reading experience, and I highly recommend it to the very few who haven’t read it yet.
In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ that led to this book.
Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today. – Goodreads
Book Title: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
Author: Reni Eddo-Lodge
Series: No
Edition: Paperback/Audible Audiobook
Published By: Bloomsbury Circus
Released: June 1, 2017
Genre: Non-Fiction, Race, Social Justice
Pages: 249
Date Read: May 10-12, 2019
Rating: 10/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.39/5 (73,547 ratings)