Book Review: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Published: June 1, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus
Received: purchased
Read from November 28, 2022 to January 7, 2023

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

Review:

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race is one of those books that I'd been hearing about for years. I even remember when Eddo-Lodge's initial blog post when viral and the discussion that surrounded that. So I was excited to actually read the book.

One thing I appreciated about the book is that it was written from a British perspective. Most of the books I've read about race were written by an American. There are a few exceptions to that, such as Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. (Saad was born in the UK and now lives in the Middle East.) But it was really great to get a perspective that was very focused on the UK. While I did know some of the historical perspective that was talked about, I definitely knew far less than I do about racism in American history.

Eddo-Lodge mentions in the book that many British people see racism as an American problem, not a British one, so I feel like this book plays an especially important role in breaking down that misconception.

It's also written in a style that's very easy to read. While it's dealing with difficult topics, it's very accessible and easy to understand, even if it may include things that certain people don't want to hear.

This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone. I think it's especially great for people who want a British perspective on racism.