This was mostly information I've read in other books here and there, plus some very recent additions from politics and culture, but that makes it an ideal summary of systemic racism and white privilege at the intersection of race and gender. Excellent, biting, and worth a read even if you think you know it all. The liberal white is always white before liberal, so there's definitely something for you here. ( )

3.5 stars

I’m having trouble finding the words to describe the book. It made sense while I was listening (to the audio), but hard to sum up in a short couple of sentences. The author is looking at how US society came to be so focused on white male power. How it’s a sort of benchmark, and even mediocre white men tend to have more power than many others (people of colour, women, lgbtq+, etc.).

As for the audio book, it was read by the author herself and she did a great job; it held my interest. As with many anti-racist books, there are some things that are hard to hear and (as a white woman), it’s sometimes hard to wrap my head around some of the horrible experiences of people of colour. I think I’m also lucky that I work in a female-dominated profession. ( )

Really interesting look at American politics and society. I think it’ll remain relevant for years to come. ( )

This was a challenging book to read. Not because of its prose - Ijeoma Oluo is a great writer - but because of the message. Challenging and uncomfortable in the sense of being slapped across the face and asked why I wasn't seeing what was right before my eyes, why I wasn't hearing what people have been shouting my whole life.

I needed to read this, and need to read - and do - more. Oluo makes a strong argument for her position though I think, as others have noted, that the focus of the book sometimes wanders from a focus on "white male supremacy" specifically to either white supremacy or male supremacy. However, as I (as a cis-gendered, white, Anglo-Saxon male) am the direct beneficiary of both of those systems of injustice, it is a bit rich for me to present that as any form of criticism.

There were some arguments or fact patterns in the book that I questioned a bit - perceptions or interpretations of events that she had. However, I realize part of the exercise for me is not to fit what Oluo is saying into my worldview but to sit down, shut up, and listen to what she is saying from her worldview - she has a hell of a lot more experience than I do dealing with white male supremacy and I need to hear what she is saying.

There is a lot more I could (and did at one point) write about this but it would end up (ended up) being a confessional rather than a review. In the end, my eyes are opening (but not open - the process is not complete). I need to be and act better.
( )

If you don't understand the meaning of systemic, institutional racism / misogyny, this book makes it pretty clear.

While I think books like this are crucial to expanding our conversation in the US, I still leave them feeling like this country is totally fucked, and there is nothing I can do about it. ( )