Overview

In SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE, editor-at-large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the N word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates, Roxane Gay, Jessica Valenti in FULL FRONTAL FEMINISM, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay The Meaning of a Word.

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9781580058827

Table of Contents

Reviews

One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured. --The Denver VOICE Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism. . . A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Reviews Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actor When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active

Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism. . . A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --JENNY YANG, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --ANDY RICHTER, writer and actor So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --FRANCHESCA RAMSEY, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us - both white people and people of color - that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --MATT McGORRY, actor Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --HARI KONDABOLU, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --LINDY WEST, New York Times bestselling author of Shrill

I am in awe of Ijeoma. She is the smartest, most courageous and electrifying young writer on race relations today -- the voice of our times. Let her be your guidepost. She will make you think and she will make you feel. Follow Ijeoma Oluo and thrill to the challenge, beginning right here with So You Want To Talk About Race. --Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks Fascinating, real, and necessary, a superb compendium reckoning with race, gender, and identity in white America. --The Root So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told. Her ability to write so smartly and honestly with strokes of humor about race in America is heaven sent and demonstrates just how desperately we all need to be talking about race, and perhaps, more importantly, this insightful book shows those in power or privilege how they need to listen. --Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Everything's Trash, But It's Okay Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race is a welcome gift to us all -- a critical offering during a moment when the hard work of social transformation is hampered by the inability of anyone who benefits from systemic racism to reckon with its costs. Oluo's mandate is clear and powerful: change will not come unless we are brave enough to name and remove the many forces at work strangling freedom. Racial supremacy is but one of those forces. --Darnell L. Moore, author of No Ashes in the Fire Ijeoma Oluo-writing on any subject-is compassionate brilliance personified, and I am so grateful for her work and her voice. She is the first writer I name when anyone asks who they should read to help them think about and navigate issues of race and identity, help them understand what solidarity means and what it requires of all of us. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book for everyone, but especially for people of color who need to feel seen and heard. --Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know So You Want To Talk About Race is a landmark book for our times. Oluo does more than deliver tough, blunt truths about the realities of racism, power and oppression. She also, in bracing fashion, offers a vision of hope; a message that through dialogue and struggle, we can emancipate ourselves from what she calls 'the nation's oldest pyramid scheme: white supremacy.' That is why I don't think this is merely one of the most important books of the last decade. It is also one of the most optimistic. To write such a book in these difficult times is in and of itself, a daring and beautiful act. --Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation and author of What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States A must-read primer on the politics of American racism. --Bustle What Ijeoma Oluo has done, and continues to do, is nothing short of revolutionary -- she has created a conversational guide and laid out a movement-building blueprint for people of all races who are invested in self-assessment, open to being challenged, and committed to collective progress. One of the most important voices of our time, Oluo encourages us to be the conversation starters in our own lives and to keep talking -- someone who needs to hear us is listening. --Feminista Jones, author of Reclaiming Our Space Ijeoma Oluo's work is where candor meets wisdom, where intelligence meets action, where prose meets power. With her indelible combination of lived experience and research, she is one of the most important people writing about this current moment for our country and our world. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book that I have recommended to countless people-and that I will continue to recommend for years to come. --Rakesh Satyal, author of Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My Name So You Want to Talk About Race is warm and foundational enough for people beginning their journey to understanding racism in America, and thought-provoking and challenging enough for people who believe themselves to be well-versed on the subject. In short, it's for everyone. Ijeoma's voice cuts through all the noise and stays with you. --Emily V. Gordon, co-writer of The Big Sick and author of Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero So You Want to Talk About Race is a phenomenal read and it's helping me articulate conversations I want and need to have. --Adib Khorram, Morris Award--winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism.... A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Reviews You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured. --The Denver VOICE One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actor When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active

With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured. --The Denver VOICE When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actor Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism.... A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Reviews So You Want to Talk About Race is a phenomenal read and it's helping me articulate conversations I want and need to have. --Adib Khorram, Morris Award--winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay So You Want to Talk About Race is warm and foundational enough for people beginning their journey to understanding racism in America, and thought-provoking and challenging enough for people who believe themselves to be well-versed on the subject. In short, it's for everyone. Ijeoma's voice cuts through all the noise and stays with you. --Emily V. Gordon, co-writer of The Big Sick and author of Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero Ijeoma Oluo's work is where candor meets wisdom, where intelligence meets action, where prose meets power. With her indelible combination of lived experience and research, she is one of the most important people writing about this current moment for our country and our world. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book that I have recommended to countless people-and that I will continue to recommend for years to come. --Rakesh Satyal, author of Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My Name What Ijeoma Oluo has done, and continues to do, is nothing short of revolutionary -- she has created a conversational guide and laid out a movement-building blueprint for people of all races who are invested in self-assessment, open to being challenged, and committed to collective progress. One of the most important voices of our time, Oluo encourages us to be the conversation starters in our own lives and to keep talking -- someone who needs to hear us is listening. --Feminista Jones, author of Reclaiming Our Space A must-read primer on the politics of American racism. --Bustle Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told. Her ability to write so smartly and honestly with strokes of humor about race in America is heaven sent and demonstrates just how desperately we all need to be talking about race, and perhaps, more importantly, this insightful book shows those in power or privilege how they need to listen. --Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Everything's Trash, But It's Okay Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race is a welcome gift to us all -- a critical offering during a moment when the hard work of social transformation is hampered by the inability of anyone who benefits from systemic racism to reckon with its costs. Oluo's mandate is clear and powerful: change will not come unless we are brave enough to name and remove the many forces at work strangling freedom. Racial supremacy is but one of those forces. --Darnell L. Moore, author of No Ashes in the Fire Ijeoma Oluo-writing on any subject-is compassionate brilliance personified, and I am so grateful for her work and her voice. She is the first writer I name when anyone asks who they should read to help them think about and navigate issues of race and identity, help them understand what solidarity means and what it requires of all of us. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book for everyone, but especially for people of color who need to feel seen and heard. --Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know Fascinating, real, and necessary, a superb compendium reckoning with race, gender, and identity in white America. --The Root So You Want To Talk About Race is a landmark book for our times. Oluo does more than deliver tough, blunt truths about the realities of racism, power and oppression. She also, in bracing fashion, offers a vision of hope; a message that through dialogue and struggle, we can emancipate ourselves from what she calls 'the nation's oldest pyramid scheme: white supremacy.' That is why I don't think this is merely one of the most important books of the last decade. It is also one of the most optimistic. To write such a book in these difficult times is in and of itself, a daring and beautiful act. --Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation and author of What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly I am in awe of Ijeoma. She is the smartest, most courageous and electrifying young writer on race relations today -- the voice of our times. Let her be your guidepost. She will make you think and she will make you feel. Follow Ijeoma Oluo and thrill to the challenge, beginning right here with So You Want To Talk About Race. --Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility

Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us - both white people and people of color - that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism. . . A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --MATT McGORRY, actor When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --JENNY YANG, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --HARI KONDABOLU, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --ANDY RICHTER, writer and actor So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --FRANCHESCA RAMSEY, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --LINDY WEST, New York Times bestselling author of Shrill

Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism.... A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Reviews You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor Oluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate. --800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured. --The Denver VOICE One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actor When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill

So You Want To Talk About Race is a landmark book for our times. Oluo does more than deliver tough, blunt truths about the realities of racism, power and oppression. She also, in bracing fashion, offers a vision of hope; a message that through dialogue and struggle, we can emancipate ourselves from what she calls 'the nation's oldest pyramid scheme: white supremacy.' That is why I don't think this is merely one of the most important books of the last decade. It is also one of the most optimistic. To write such a book in these difficult times is in and of itself, a daring and beautiful act. --Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation and author of What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States I am in awe of Ijeoma. She is the smartest, most courageous and electrifying young writer on race relations today-the voice of our times. Let her be your guidepost. She will make you think and she will make you feel. Follow Ijeoma Oluo and thrill to the challenge, beginning right here with So You Want To Talk About Race. --Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility Fascinating, real, and necessary, a superb compendium reckoning with race, gender, and identity in white America. --The Root So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly Ijeoma Oluo-writing on any subject-is compassionate brilliance personified, and I am so grateful for her work and her voice. She is the first writer I name when anyone asks who they should read to help them think about and navigate issues of race and identity, help them understand what solidarity means and what it requires of all of us. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book for everyone, but especially for people of color who need to feel seen and heard. --Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told. Her ability to write so smartly and honestly with strokes of humor about race in America is heaven sent and demonstrates just how desperately we all need to be talking about race, and perhaps, more importantly, this insightful book shows those in power or privilege how they need to listen. --Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Everything's Trash, But It's Okay Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race is a welcome gift to us all -- a critical offering during a moment when the hard work of social transformation is hampered by the inability of anyone who benefits from systemic racism to reckon with its costs. Oluo's mandate is clear and powerful: change will not come unless we are brave enough to name and remove the many forces at work strangling freedom. Racial supremacy is but one of those forces. --Darnell L. Moore, author of No Ashes in the Fire A must-read primer on the politics of American racism. --Bustle Ijeoma Oluo's work is a necessary course correction. The desire to avoid conversations about race can actually feel rational, as if there's nothing to be gained in more talking. But Oluo offers us a way through with her bold combination of directness and empathy she allows space for us to admit that even people of color need parameters and working definitions. In a time when words are misused then rendered meaningless, while the actual painful condition and systems we need to address persist and grow and worsen, Oluo offers us a reset, a starting point, a clear way forward. --dream hampton, filmmaker, writer, activist, and filmmaker, and executive producer of Surviving R. Kelly What Ijeoma Oluo has done, and continues to do, is nothing short of revolutionary -- she has created a conversational guide and laid out a movement-building blueprint for people of all races who are invested in self-assessment, open to being challenged, and committed to collective progress. One of the most important voices of our time, Oluo encourages us to be the conversation starters in our own lives and to keep talking -- someone who needs to hear us is listening. --Feminista Jones, author of Reclaiming Our Space Ijeoma Oluo's work is where candor meets wisdom, where intelligence meets action, where prose meets power. With her indelible combination of lived experience and research, she is one of the most important people writing about this current moment for our country and our world. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book that I have recommended to countless people-and that I will continue to recommend for years to come. --Rakesh Satyal, author of Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My Name So You Want to Talk About Race is warm and foundational enough for people beginning their journey to understanding racism in America, and thought-provoking and challenging enough for people who believe themselves to be well-versed on the subject. In short, it's for everyone. Ijeoma's voice cuts through all the noise and stays with you. --Emily V. Gordon, co-writer of The Big Sick and author of Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero So You Want to Talk About Race is a phenomenal read and it's helping me articulate conversations I want and need to have. --Adib Khorram, Morris Award--winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism.... A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus Reviews You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured. --The Denver VOICE One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The Stranger With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book Review Impassioned and unflinching --Vogue.com Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --Bitch Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know. --Harper's Bazaar, One of 10 Books to Read in 2018 Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actor When you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love. --Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active I don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects. --Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill

Author Information

Ijeoma Oluo is a writer and speaker whose work on race has been featured in The Guardian, New Yorkmagazine, xoJane, Jezebel, and more. She is also an editor-at-large at The Establishment, and Seattle magazine named her one of the most influential people in Seattle.

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