So You Want to Talk about Race

Reviews

“Oluo takes on the thorniest questions surrounding race, from police brutality to who can use the ‘N’ word.”

“Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know.”

“While so many people want to become ‘thought leaders,’ ‘bloggers,’ or even just ‘influential,’ Oluo is eons past that.”

“A unique attempt to bridge the gap between Americans who talk and think regularly about race in America and those who don’t—most typically, white people…Impassioned and unflinching.”

“Narrator Bahni Turpin’s impassioned voice clearly conveys the gravity of this book on race and racism…Turpin walks listeners through each chapter, allowing them time to absorb the impact of topics from Affirmative Action to police brutality…[and] Turpin engagingly reads real-life examples Oluo uses to illustrate complex concepts such as intersectionality and white privilege…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”

“Important and relevant. Police brutality, micro-aggressions at the workplace, and affirmative action are all grist for the verbal mill. Narrator Turpin has a soothing voice and reads with authority, understanding, and passion…Both narrator and author are worth seeking out again.”

“Delivers a punch while describing the realities of blackness in America.”

“With urgency, grace, and a straightforward sensibility, Oluo talks about race, exploring intersectionality, privilege, cultural appropriation, microaggression, and a great deal more…Highly recommended.”

“A well-organized, well-argued, and lively collection of essays…Oluo is persuasive, sympathetic and funny. She is also direct…This is a challenging, sympathetic, and beautifully organized how-to manual.”

“Precise, poignant, and edifying, this primer gives readers much-needed tools…and offering concrete ways to confront racism…[while] blending personal accounts and meticulously cited research…This is essential reading.”

“Insightful and trenchant but not preachy…A topical book in a time when racial tensions are on the rise.”

“A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation.”

“This book is much-needed and timely. It is more than a primer on racism. It is a comprehensive conversation guide.”

“It’s the most direct and disarming approach to the topic that I’ve ever read.”

“In a clear, direct, matter-of-fact tone, Oluo mixes memoir with guidance, walking the reader through some of the most complicated, and in many cases, deadly conversations the country is having (or not having) today. I have gone back to it again and again..It should be on everyone’s bookshelf.”

“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.”

“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.”

Expand reviews