Black History Month 2018 - Books about race

One of the interesting things about this round of reading was that I found books that I thought were really race-specific. Yes, that does sound horrible, but it's not.

Most of the books I read tend to be history books. That is partly due to a personal gravitation toward history, but also that history is good for teaching us about current conditions. History helps us understand what is going on and why it is that way, and helps us see the potential in our situation.

Therefore, if I am deciding whether or not to recommend a history book to others, that will be mainly based on how interesting it is, but a lot of that is readability. Did the author give enough background information so you don't need to come in with a lot of knowledge? Or did the author throw so much information out there that you will get bogged down and bored? (There were some books this cycle that were a lot of work. I'm not saying I regret reading them, but I'm not recommending them.)

There were some books in this reading cycle that focused on race, with history as a context but nonetheless mainly about how we are now. I find the audiences for those much more specific.

Debby Irving's Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race is a book for white people. Maybe a Black person who was adopted into a white family and has not had a chance to know many people of color would benefit from this book, but generally speaking if you are Black, you already know. You do not need this book.

There is nothing wrong with that. It's not an argument against the book. I think Irving does a pretty good job. I think the class she took that inspired the book sounds phenomenal, and that more people should take similar classes.

It is a little bit WASP-centered, which could be a turn-off for some. I am not sure if it would be helpful for non-Black people of color - it might inhabit an odd middle ground for them.

Probably the most useful thing about the book is that because Irving herself has had to start her own "waking up" process, she is gentle with others about it. So if you are the kind of white person whose hackles get raised when you hear people talking about racism and you do not believe you are racist (but maybe you have this nagging sense that you can't quite dismiss) this book is probably the best introduction for that.

(If you already accept institutional racism as a problem and have seen some of the issues, the third book is going to be more for you.)

Some of the most profound parts for me had to do with the aging parents, and communication with them. I think that can come in handy too.

If you are Black, you may really benefit from reading Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. It takes all of the micro agressions and effects of slavery, red-lining, and discrimination, and how that can affect the people experiencing it. After acknowledging the issues, it does spend some time on strategies for dealing with it, but the bulk of the book is saying "Hey, this is there and it hurts us in ways we may not realize."

In that way, I suppose it is a book about mindfulness. Therefore when some of the solutions also become issues of mindfulness, there is a logic to that.

I found it interesting, but I suspect it would be much more profound for a Black person. Fellow white people, we may not get much out of it. I don't know about other people of color.

Again, I really think this is okay. Our life experiences result in different needs, and sometimes the answer is reading different books. However, I think the third book can be for everybody:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

This isn't as gentle an exploration as Waking Up White, but it is really well-organized where the information builds up logically and makes a good case.  It is not overly lengthy and felt shorter because of the momentum it built. There is a wonderful clarity of communication, and I appreciate that she acknowledges the way she has been affected, like some initial discomfort in a park. I believe this book can benefit people of all races.

It is conceivable that some people who are sensitive on the racism topic will be offended. If that could be you, start with Irving and work your way up.

And if that doesn't seem like enough, don't worry! There are many more books out there. I recently read a review for a new one, Deconstructing White Privilege by Robin DiAngelo. It sounds like that one is for white progressives who believe that racism is common among other people, but that they are above it. I could be wrong about that, but if not, you probably don't know who you are. Read it so you can understand "other people" better.

Anyway, there is information out there. Even if not all books out there are for you, Oluo's book for sure, and quite possibly Irving's or DeGruy's book (depending) are for you. So that's a start.